


Ha·bit·u·a·tion

by SynriLynn



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Please Don't Kill Me, Poor Lucy, Read the warnings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:23:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SynriLynn/pseuds/SynriLynn
Summary: Sold to sex traffickers at a young age by her own father, Lucy is sent to into a foster home before being placed into a normal high school where she struggles to conform to what a normal life should be for a 16-year-old girl. Can some of Magnolia high's students help the blonde to adjust and show her what it means to be a normal teenager? Modern day AU. TRIGGER WARNINGS INSIDE!





	1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone! This is an idea I had for a new story. I wrote the first chapter and figured I would post it and see how it went. If it gets a pretty good response, I will continue this into a full blown multi-chapter story. If you like it, go ahead and leave a review and let me know that you would like to read more!_

**WARNING:**   **Rated MA for Explicit Graphic Depictions of Violence, Graphic Depiction of Rape/Non-Consensual Sex, Graphic Sex, Graphic Physical and Mental Abuse, Mental Instability, Hints and Implications Toward Underage Non-Consensual Sex, and Human Sex Trafficking of Minors. Please read at your own discretion.**

I do not own Fairy Tail; All major characters depicted in this fan-created fiction story belong to Hiro Mashima.

* * *

SUMMARY

_Sold to sex traffickers at a young age by her own father, Lucy is sent to into a foster home before being placed into a normal high school where she struggles to conform to what a normal life should be for a 16-year-old girl. Can some of Magnolia high's students help the blonde to adjust and show her what it means to be a normal teenager? Modern day AU. TRIGGER WARNINGS INSIDE!_

* * *

Fresh unshed tears welled up into the blonde girl's honey brown eyes as the young child no older than twelve wandered the overly crowded mall that her father had all but forced her to come to with him. The usually passive and cold male had been all too eager to drag what he would consider his bratty daughter along with him.

At the time, the child didn't understand why her usually bitter and distant father had decided to take her out. Ever since her mother passed away, the male had completely shunned her while throwing himself into his work, the young girl had been certain the blonde haired man had forgotten he even had a daughter.

After all, sometimes days would go by without the man even checking on her to see if she was okay.

The once strong and capable male she looked up to had turned into a shell of his former self, closing himself off from the only remaining family that either of them had left.

And it  _hurt._

It was almost as if the blonde had lost two parents the day her mother had passed away instead of just one. If the girl was asked, she would say just that. Her father hardly spoke to her unless it was to berate the blonde on something she'd done wrong.

Eventually, his angry bellows had stopped altogether, leaving the blonde alone. It was almost as if she didn't exist anymore.

The blonde girl stamped down her need to cry at the situation she was currently in, after all, she was twelve now, She wasn't a little kid anymore and she was positive she could easily find the main office by herself. If she was able to do that, maybe security would be able to reach her father on his cell phone to let him know where she was.

The blonde knew that even though he had been distant from her for the past two years, her father would never leave her alone in a huge mall all by herself on purpose, after all, he and her mother had been the ones to tell her that if she was ever to become separated from either of them she should seek out help from someone of authority, whether it be the owner, police or security.

The blonde could only hope that she hadn't angered her father by becoming lost, while he was usually a patient man, that didn't mean that he had time to wait around without getting somewhat agitated.

Lucy didn't get out of the house often, only when her mother took her with her grocery shopping for the house. And she had only been to the mall once before when she was maybe eight years old and always stayed by her mother's side. She had never been lost before.

Lucy didn't recall wandering away too far from her father's hulking form, after all, he was hard to miss in a crowd, especially when he put off a very intimidating air around his presence. So how did she get lost in the first place?

One minute her father was beside her, and the next he was gone.

The blonde wiped the tears that pooled at the corner of her eyes before they could roll down her now pink cheeks. There was no need for her to cry, all she had to do was find the security office, and that shouldn't be that hard, at least the twelve-year-old hoped.

Lucy looked around, the blonde found it odd that none of the multitudes of people had stopped to see if she needed help. They all seemed way to busy as they buzzed by her without even chancing a small glance at the blonde who stood glued to the floor while she tried to make sense of where to go.

She could only guess that it had a lot to do with her appearance. For being only twelve years of age, the blonde was blessed as an early bloomer, giving her the appearance of that of a well endowed preteen.

Through her tear induced blurred vision, Lucy didn't take notice of the one adult that had seemingly started to follow her as she wandered the large building while she searched for any indications on where the main office would be.

It wasn't until the blonde turned to look back and see if maybe she missed any sort of sign, did she notice the man. He walked up to slowly, an intimidating presence seeming to follow the well-dressed gentleman.

For some reason, the young girl felt like she needed to run far away from this male, but the thought slipped from her mind as fast as it had appeared when the male stopped in front of her, his hand held out in front of him in a friendly gesture.

"Hello, dear. You wouldn't happen to be Lucy, would you?" The blonde hesitated before placing her hand on his, light her parents had taught her.

The older gentleman had a distinct long white beard that stopped just above the waist of his tailored black suit. The most noticeable and odd feature of the strange man was his eye patch that made his stand out in the crowd. Not many people wore eye patches, at least that Lucy could recall.

Though he smiled at her, the blonde couldn't help but feel the gesture was forced.

Who was this old guy?

"Yes, I am. How do you know my name?" The blonde retracted her palm from his significantly larger hand. The loss of contact let the white haired man move from his crouched position to stand at his full height once again.

"I am from the mall security. Your father has been looking for you. I've been instructed to bring you back to him as soon as possible." A wave of relief crash into the blonde's body while a genuine smile slipped across her small face at the man's words.

Her father didn't forget about her, after all!

"Please allow me to show you the way back, Lucy, dear." The blonde bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically in a show of understanding. The young girl was sure relief was evident on her face as she followed the suited man without another word, she didn't need any more convincing than that.

Lucy took in her surroundings, making sure not to get separated from the male much like she did with her father. Crowds of people filed through the mall's open floor plan, leaving hardly any room for error. If the blonde was so much as to look away from the suited man, she might just lose him within the chaos of the crowd, so the blonde kept her eyes trained on his back.

She couldn't afford to look away for even a second, that's probably how she got in this situation in the first place.

Laughter and bits and pieces of difference conversations met her ears while she waded through the crowd, the blonde only stopping when the male in front of her did so.

The blonde came to stand just a little in front of him to get a better view of where he had taken her. The blonde had been too busy looking at the door that she didn't notice that the man had started to reach within his suit pocket.

"Okay Lucy, your father should be right beyond that door." The blonde looked at the door with confusion, above the frame, it clearly said 'Exit'.

Surely this was some type of mistake, shouldn't it say Security or office? Why would she need to leave the building?

But the blonde didn't have a second more to ponder on her confusion before the door was pushed open and she was forced into the alleyway, a wet cloth came around to cover her mouth just when she was about to let out a terrified scream.

A muscular arm wrapped around her body, while the other kept the cloth over her mouth firmly in place. The force of his hand on her face caused the blonde to wince, surely he wasn't trying to break her nose as well?

The young girl tried to breathe, but from the force of his hand weighing down on her face and the smell of chloroform as it choked the small blonde, she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

She struggled against the man's hold while her eyes darted wildly around the alley, taking note of another man snickering while the girl kicked the man holding her, the action allowed her to free one of her hands.

She let her nails embed themselves deep within the flesh of the old man's hand that was covering her mouth, causing an infuriated grunt ripe from the male's mouth.

"The little brat too much for you to handle, Hade?" The cackle from the long blonde haired male that had been standing against the wall of the alley had the young girl whimpering from the volume of the annoying laugh.

The preteen's vision started to fade in and out while her ears started to muffle all of the sounds around her until she could barely make out any words her two kidnappers were saying.

"Silence Zancrow! Is the car close by?" The blonde felt her eyes droop while she fought hard to breath against the soaked rag that was held against her face. Her attacks wear becoming weaker and weaker by the second as the fight all but left her body while sleep threatened to take hold of her consciousness.

"Right over there, boss man. Don't forget to give that bastard his dirty money before we leave." Lucy opened her eyes just in time to see the long haired young man gesture towards another part of the alley.

The blonde could barely make out the blurred form of a brown suit that she knew.

" _Fa…ther.."_

That was all the blonde could whisper, though the word was muffled by the soaked rag.

Then Lucy's world went black as she finally felt the effects of both the lack of oxygen and chloroform take hold of her.

If the blonde had been able to hold out just a moment longer she would have seen how the head of the Heartfilia household moved closer, but only when he was sure the blonde in the older white haired male's arms had gone unconscious.

He didn't need the troublesome girl seeing him, that would only cause him problems in the future.

Well if she had a future, that was.

Zancrow took the limp girl from Hades' arms while the older man turned towards the blonde haired male in the brown suit before taking out a wad of cash from his pocket.

"Just take her away. I can't stand to look at her face anymore. Do as you wish with her, just keep my name out of anything to do with her." The stern blonde accepted the cash from the older man. Not one regret on his passive face.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Heartfilia." The eye patched man all but sneered at the blonde.

Precht may have been in this business by choice, but he would never understand how a father was able to offer up his own daughter to the type of men that he just did.

Sure the white haired man abducted many children himself, and bought other children abducted from others if he felt that they looked like they would catch him quite a few dollars of his own, but having a father release his own daughter was still the purest evil he would see on his end of the business trade.

After all, he didn't deal with the children, he just collected then dropped them off. Even the white haired man didn't know what fate would have in store for the children after he had finished dropping them off at the drop-off point, nor did he care.

So many willing parents ready to sell their own flesh and blood just for a few thousand dollars. It was disgraceful, but it's not like the old man could judge.

Human nature was very cruel, indeed.

The old man turned to walk toward the car that his younger partner had already deposited the twelve-year-old girl in. Precht glanced at Jude one last look over hisshoulder, before he himself climbed into the car.

* * *

When the blonde finally came to, she was bound and gagged in what she could only assume was a vehicle.

A small whimper slipped from the blonde, her head was pounding while the feel of her body bouncing as if she was in a car made her feel nauseous.

Lucy moved to sit up but found herself hitting her head from the fact movement, letting her know that she was in a small confined space.

Anxiety slipped into her heart when she realized that not only was she blindfolded, but she was gagged while her arms tied behind her back.

The blonde took in shallow breaths while she bounced as if the car had hit a big pothole. Fear gripped her heart when she let out what she could only call a pathetic sob around the gag that had been forced into her mouth.

The young girl pulled at her wrists, trying to loosen the knot that was digging into her back.

What happened?

How did she get her?

The blonde felt tears pool in her eyes causing the liquid quickly dampened the blindfold that was tied securely around her head when the memory of the old man that had masqueraded as a security personnel.

_He had pushed her into an alley and gagged her._

Was she being kidnapped?

The blonde gasped around her gag when she remembered the blurred vision of what she thought was her father just when she was about to fall unconscious.

Did he try to save her from these evil men?

Is he okay?

The blonde couldn't help but cry for her father. Hoping that no harm had come to him and he was able to call the police.

Hopefully law enforcement would be able to find her quickly so she could return back home.

The blonde winced when her head was forcefully slammed against whatever she was laying on when another bump caused her body to involuntarily jerk up then down again.

Lucy tried to suck in another breath while the anxiety clawed its way into her throat, making her feel like she was choking from the little oxygen she was about to get from both her mouth and nose.

She was claustrophobic.

The feeling of being trapped almost too much for the child to bare as she rolled from her back into her side before rubbing her mouth against the rough carpeted ground in an attempt to remove the gag from her mouth.

If only she could just somehow  _breathe._

Without realizing it, the blonde started to scream when panic started to take over and her involuntary fear started to shrink in around her.

She couldn't breathe..

Her throat felt dry and numb when it felt like her airway had decided to close off on its own. Her body was on fire as she tried not to imagine her lungs aflame from the neglect of precious air.

Lucy let out more, much louder whimpers and shrieks while using her bound ankles to kick up on the roof of the trunk in hopes that whoever was taking her wherever would hear her and help her.

Her wish was granted when the car come to a sudden halt causing her body to jerk while slamming into another hard surface. Her back pressed into another carpeted surface.

She was  _certain_  she was stuffed in a trunk now.

The blonde tried to take a deep breath when she felt cool air hit her skin when the trunk latch popped open with a rusty groan. Even though she was blindfolded, Lucy knew that someone was staring down at her.

The young girl let out another muffled scream, in hopes that whoever was above her would have mercy and remove the gage so she could replenish her lungs with much needed air.

However, luck was not in her favor, when she felt a hard force collide with her cheek. The blonde let out a muffled scream when the burning sensation of being slapped hit her nerves. Her tears cascaded down her face in renewed vigor when the person that hit her cackled.

The blonde could feel every hair on her head being ripped from her scalp as the man made a point to pull harder than needed to drag her body up before her face was slammed into the musky smelling carpet of the trunk.

"Shut the fuck up you little brat. We paid good money for you, so be a good girl and keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut." Honey brown eyes widened beneath the blindfold when the stranger's words slowly registered in her mind.

_Paid?_

The blonde tired to voice her question but was silenced when another hard slap was felt across her already stinging cheek. The pain from the man's forceful hits had made the blonde forget all about her suffocating fit.

"It would do you well to learn to shut up now before we hand you over. If not, you're never gonna make us any money." The blonde let out a silent sob while her body violently shook. She didn't understand what the man meant.

"I guess now we know why your ol' man decided to sell your ass. You don't listen worth shit you fuckin' brat!" The blonde felt another slap, this time to the other cheek before she could feel the force of the trunk being shut with a loud bang.

The blonde was stunned into silence.

Her father… He wasn't there to  _save her.._

_He let them take her.._

The blonde's body shook violently. Her own father, the only remaining family member that she had left- He didn't want her..

Her would rather sell her off to the highest bidder than deal with her anymore? Was she really that horrible of a daughter?

What had she done to deserve this fate?

The twelve-year-old girl found herself curling in on herself the best that she could in the small space that she had.

This pain- It was too intense for her. She felt betrayed- by her own father no less. Wasn't a father supposed to protect his daughter from these types of people that had her now?

Then why?

If that was a father's job, then why was this happening to her now? Why had she been handed over to two complete strangers to be treated with such cruelty?

The preteen's still learning mind hurt from both the physical and mental anguish of the situation.

Lucy could help herself from the thought before it rushed through her mind like a tidal wave. She wanted her mother back.

If Layla Heatifilia was still alive none of this ever would have happened.

Her mother cared about what happened to Lucy, she would have never let this happen to her own daughter.

 _Her own flesh and blood_.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder how long  _her father_  had this planned?

How many times did she wake up and eat breakfast at a silent table with him with that awful man having his plan in the works without her even knowing?

Days?

Weeks?

Months?

A year?

Tears ran freely down the twelve-year old's face before exhaustion or anguish finally made the girl succumb to the darkness while she wept in her sleep.

* * *

"Wake up, little shit." Lucy was violently shaken from her slumber, her eyes opening only when she felt her young body collide onto a rock hard surface before the blindfold was ripped from her red-rimmed eyed.

The blonde blinked when harsh rays of light blinded the blonde after being stuck in the darkness for so long. She rapidly opened and closed her chocolate orbs, trying to adjust to the harsh brightness.

Next, her gag was forcefully removed, much to the relief of the young girl.

She could finally breathe again.

When Lucy was finally able to make out more than just random blurs of color, she looked around. The blonde's eyes scanned over the large expanse of the room before falling her two captives while they spoke.

"Alright, I've done my part. See ya 'round,  _Madam_  Ultear." Lucy's eyes looked back to the male who had slapped her around while she was still in the trunk. His long blonde hair was unkempt as it fell down his back in large tuffs.

"Well done. Let Hades know that his payment is being transferred as we speak." Lucy's eyes widened when her eyes landed on an older woman with long black hair pulled back from her face. Her eyes were downcast toward the cell phone in her hands.

Lucy zoned in on the older woman's face, noticing at how much make up the woman wore. The cosmetic products were thick upon every inch of her face. Though even with all the dramatic makeup, Lucy could tell that if she hadn't been wearing any, she would still be gorgeous.

The blonde male only cackled while waving his hand over his shoulder as he walked out the front door. The blonde followed him out before the door slammed back into its original closed position. The door had too many locks for a normal house.

"Hello, little girl. From this day forward, you will call me Madam." Lucy shrunk back from the older woman who was dressed in what looked to be a velvet robe. The blonde shook when the woman leaned back away from her, a frown evident on the woman's face.

"Girl, what is your name?" Lucy eyed the woman, hesitating while she wondered if telling this woman her name would be a wise decision. However, before Lucy could think any more on the subject, the older woman had reached out and slapped her across the face. The sting causing the blonde to let out a small shriek of surprise as the pain shot through her body.

"You will do well to answer when your madam speaks to you, brat! Do not make me wait for an answer." Lucy coward in fear when the woman's voice rose to a high pitched yell.

"Lu.. Lola. My name is Lola." The blonde felt a tear slip past her closed eyelids in fear of being struck once again if the ebony haired woman knew that she was lying about her real name. She had been smacked around so much today already.

"Lola. I see. Well, from this day on your name will be Ashley. Forget the name Lola, wipe it from your mind completely. Do you understand me?" Lucy could only shake her head in a silent nod.

It didn't even matter that she had given the woman a fake name.

Lucy watched the woman turn her back to her while walking into another room, most likely expecting the blonde to follow. Her suspicions rang true when the ebony haired woman's voice drifted through the room

"Now, rise to your feet Ashley. It's time for you to get to work."

Silent tears fell down her wide brown eyes while she tried to stand on her weak legs while wobbling to follow after the older woman. Her head was pounding and her stomach churned within her body as hunger started to set in.

She hadn't eaten since breakfast time. But it looked like she shouldn't expect food anytime soon.


	2. Chapter Two

**WARNING:** **Please do not read if you are disturbed by the following themes; Mentions of Child Nudity, Implied Sexual Acts with a Child, Sexual Acts Preformed by a Child, Torture of Children, Exploitation of Children, Non-Consensual Sex and/or Sex Acts Involving Children**

This chapter was extremely hard for me to type out. This will probably be the only chapter like this in the story. I feel it needed to happen to convey the type of relationships and situations Lucy had within the brothel life. These experiences will stay with her even when she makes it out, so I needed a foundation to start with. I'm very sorry if this disturbs some readers, it disturbed me as well. I have warnings in place for a reason, the last thing I want to do if bring on bad memories if this is something someone has experienced or has had a similar situation happen to them.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_One year and three months later_

"Ashley, get the hell over here you little slut." The now platinum blonde young girl scrambled to her feet when the lengthy ebony haired woman made an appearance at the top of the staircase in her usual silky velvet dress and robes.

When the young girl was first brought to the makeshift brothel in god knows where, Lucy's golden locks had been bleached a stark pale blonde- almost white as all the golden hues were stripped from her hair.

The blonde could only guess it would be a new look to go with her new identity, after all, they needed to make her look somewhat different just in case someone was to notice she was the once young daughter of the Heartfilia household.

"Coming Madam!" The honey brown eyed ascended the stairs in such a rush to keep from incurring the wrath of the older woman that she tripped, sending her to her knee right on the sharp corner of the wooden step.

Lucy winced when she felt a pain in her knee as her leg scrapped against the old dilapidating wood of the set of steps leading up to the main part of the house.

Fear filtered across the young girl's face when the ebony haired lady all but growled at the clumsy platinum haired child. Lucy really didn't want to be beaten around today.

Even though no one else knew it- it was her thirteenth Birthday.

"I swear, for being the most requested whore, you have to be the most graceless little shit here. Pick yourself up, you have a client waiting." The blonde visibly paled at the mention of yet  _another_ client for her today. This would be her 14th and it most certainly wasn't even well into the evening yet.

The young girl picked herself up, ignoring her still throbbing core while her thighs quaked from her earlier client's abuse.

Her injury all but a memory as she slowly walked up the remaining stairs to reach the top only to be grabbed on the upper arm by the ebony haired woman with more force than needed for the small girl.

"You will be a good little tramp for this client. You do whatever he wants, is that understood?" The platinum blonde child nodded her head in silence. However, the silent gesture was not good enough confirmation for the onyx-haired Madam.

Before the little girl knew it she was forced to the ground by a powerful backhand to her cheek. The malice in the older woman's eyes had the terrified child shrinking in on herself.

"I.. I understand, Madam. I will be on my best behavior." The small blonde whimpered out while she held her now stinging cheek.

Birthday or not, Lucy just wanted this day to be over. It would seem that it really wouldn't matter if it was the day of her birth.

It was just another day to earn her keep at the madam's whore house.

Just another day of slutting herself out, as some of the other girls would call it.

"That's better. If I so much as hear that your performance was anything less than excellent I will personally see to your punishment." The platinum blonde felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead while ice shot through her spine when she remembered the last punishment she had endured at the hand of the brothel's strict madam.

"Yes, madam." The terrified brown eyed girl limped beside the older woman who took her into the room all the servicing girls called the changing room.

The child watched as the Madam pulled out a too small pink corset with matching crotchless panties.

The blonde was ordered to strip from her oversized male t-shirt before the ebony haired woman moved to strap the too tight corset over the front the naked girl's chest. The older woman moved behind the smaller female to lace up the lingerie before making the child put on the panties herself. Lucy grimaced at the skimpy fabric of the work uniform that barely covered her still developing body.

The platinum-haired girl was barely able to keep from tripping when the long-haired Madam grabbed her upper arm and forced her to walk with her outside of the room and up the stairs to the second story. Lucy winced when she felt her foot slip from one of the steps while trying to keep up with her Madam's fast pace.

"If you weren't such a good source of income, I would have sold your clumsy ass already." The older woman sneered at the frail young girl.

It was true; Lucy was the most requested girl. With her porcelain skin, big honey-hued doe eyes, blonde hair and her beyond-her-years voluptuous feminine features- the little girl was no doubt a gold mine when it came to the sick pedophiles that slinked themselves into the illegal brothel to sink themselves into the little girl.

"Remember what I told you, Ashley." The little blonde shook from the underlying threat in the Madam's voice before they came to stand outside of the door that the girl knew currently accommodated her next client.

The little girl steeled her body, stopping her almost involuntary quivering while she ignored the soreness in between her small thighs.

"Yes, Madam. I will be a good girl." The blonde swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat while the older woman put on a fake sickly sweet smile before swinging the door open to reveal the huge brute of a man that was waiting inside the room.

The small blonde inwardly cringed at the brawny male. She had hoped, for her sake that her next client would be smaller than the mammoth sized male placed in front of her.

She probably wouldn't be able to make it out of the room on her own after he's finished with her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. As you requested, this is our sweet little whore, Ashley. I hope she is to your liking." And with that, the older woman walked out and shut the door, leaving the small blonde alone with the beefy brute in the room, behind closed doors.

No matter how many times Lucy had been put in this situation before, the platinum blonde couldn't help the bile and anxiety from rising to her throat, especially when it was a new client she had never serviced before.

She didn't know how this first encounter was going to go, he might be the type of man that liked to smack her around before taking her or he might be the type that liked to tie her to the bed. The little blonde didn't know what awaited her with this huge behemoth of a male before her.

**WARNING:** **Please do not read the following text if you are disturbed by the following themes; Mentions of Child Nudity, Implied Sexual Acts with a Child, Sexual Acts Preformed by a Child, Torture of Children, Exploitation of Children, Non-Consensual Sex and/or Sex Acts Involving Children**

"Come here, sweetheart." The large man beckoned the still trembling blonde, though she didn't want to, her body obeyed. Her tight bodice cutting into her delicate skin as the boning pressed harder on her sides when she sat on the man's thigh, where he had motioned for her.

The blonde remained silent, she knew better than to speak before she was spoken to. Some men didn't want to hear her talk, only her screams while she lay beneath them.

Some liked for her to beg for more, and others liked for her to beg them to stop. That request was always easily satisfied

She always wanted them to stop.

"You may call me daddy, sweetheart. I won't hurt you, I just want to satisfy one of my darkest wishes. You'll let daddy do that, won't you?" The blonde felt the man's large calloused hands moved from her arm and down to stroke her exposed thigh.

"Ye.. Yes, daddy. You may do what you want with me." The little blonde shook when the stubble of his slow-growing beard and the hairs of his mustache moved against her while the humidity of his breath clung to the skin of her neck when he whispered into her ear.

"What a good little girl you are, Ashley." The platinum blonde felt her legs being spread apart by the pedophile's large hands while the little girl tried to take inconspicuous deep calming breaths.

She should be used to these types of touches by now, but she didn't think she would ever get used to the feeling of anxiety squeezing against her heart.

"Thank you, daddy." The blonde let her honey-hued eyes follow the huge man's fingers as they trailed up her premature body before resting on the straps that cling to her shoulders. The small girl released a whimper when his hands moved once again to her back to pull at the strings that held her corset in place.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder why her own  _father_  had subjected her to a life of sexual servitude at the hands of strangers.

All these strangers always told her how much of a good girl she was for them.

Was she not a good girl for him?

The blonde was brought out of her thoughts when she felt her corset loosen from her small form, the girl took in a deeper breath, thankful to have the too small clothes off her body, as twisted as it sounded.

The Madam always had her in smaller clothes because not only did they accentuate her more developed body, but it saved her money on buying larger clothes for her since all of the other girls were smaller than the blonde even though they were all close in age.

The preteen shivered when cool air met her still developing bare breasts, surprise leaving the girl in a form of a whimper.

She felt sick. Lucy didn't want this.

She would be a good girl for him if her father would just take her away from this place. She didn't want to do such dirty things to complete strangers anymore.

She felt filthy.

"Ashley, sweetheart. You are so beautiful. Please, tell Daddy you love him." The girl shivered at the males panting needy request.

So he was one of _those men_.The type that needed unhealthy love from a child.

"I..I love you, daddy." The blonde let her big honey colored orbs move from the ground and up to the male's eyes, they were gazed over while his hands slipped from her back to cup her still budding perky breasts. The girl let out a gasp of surprise at the sudden contact of his callus hands while his fingers teased the small buds.

Bile rose in the young girl's mouth when she felt her body reacting to the large brute's contact involuntarily.

She hated this.

The blonde child couldn't understand why it felt so good, even though she felt ill from the older men's touches.

Lucy was  _always_  a mix of confusion at the feelings she acknowledged with her clients.

The blonde was sheltered all her life leading up to her 'kidnapping'. She never knew the pleasures a man could have with a woman or for that matter, the type of twisted unwanted pleasure a man could cause within a little girl.

The blonde never learned anything so provocative, it wasn't until her first client at the brothel did she learn of the relations between a male and a female.

Lucy closed her eyes while the huge male moved her onto her back before he pressed her into the bed. It was time for the sick man now lingering above her to have his way with her.

"You're going to make daddy feel good, right sweetheart?" His deep groan had the girl shivering.

"If that's what you want, daddy. Just.. Please be gentle." The small blonde let the last sentence flow from her lips like a rehearsed hymn. Sometimes the request went answered and others she had received punishment for the innocent line.

"I don't think I can do that sweetie." The blonde clenched her eyes when the male placed a kiss on her now exposed tummy, rousing the butterflies' living there-Well that's what she liked to call it anyways.

The small girl let her mind wander while she tried to block out the ministrations of the male above her. She didn't want to feel him touching her body, the blonde would much rather retreat into her mind.

She would speak if spoken to, she would do what is told of her, but other than that, the little girl had shrunk into herself.

The vague feeling of something firm and lengthy pressing against her small thigh had the blonde release a gasp at the size of the man.

A small whimper left the girl before she let her mind wander to better days and sweeter memories, just as the man removed her undergarments.

* * *

The small blonde had been correct in assuming that she wouldn't be able to move when the brute of a man had been finished with her.

Her poor core was weeping while the pain of his engorged member had her practically screaming in agony, much to the older man's delight it had seemed.

Lucy whimpered while she covered herself with the soiled sheets that had previously been on the bed. She was not allowed to leave the room until the Madam came to retrieve her after dealing with the now satisfied client.

The blonde wiped at her throbbing genitalia, wincing when a burning sensation was felt. She ran the sheet across her swollen slit, hoping to remove the remnants of the male that had been so intimately inside her.

She could feel the warning signed of bruises forming under the porcelain skin of both her thighs and arms where the man had gripped her body mercilessly to hold her in place.

The door swung open with a loud bang as the wood met the wall. A smirk adorned the older woman's eyes before flashing to the crumpled blonde still on the bed.

"Looks like you earned yourself another regular, Ashley." The black haired woman cackled at the broken blonde while she moved further into the room to lift the little girl from the bed, sheets and all.

The child was thankful that the usual foul mood of the older woman had all but vanished enough for her to assist her back into the basement.

Because Lucy knew for a fact she wouldn't be able to walk for at least the rest of the day.

The walk back to the basement was uncomfortable; every step the raven-haired woman took made the blonde wince from the abuse to her now swollen young womanhood.

Once back in the basement, the Madam deposited the blonde child onto her cot rather roughly before gazing at the now weeping girl.

"That was your last client request for the day. You are excused from line up for the rest of the evening. Rest well because tomorrow you have double the amount of bookings." The older women regarded the other girls with a sneer before walking up the stairs to shut and lock the door from the outside, leaving the young girls to themselves.

"Are you okay, Ashley?" Brown orbs moved from staring at the floor to regard the concerned gaze of the pink haired girl staring back at her. Lucy didn't know what the girl's real name was, but then again, neither did she.

Madam Ultear had found the pinkette wandering the streets and brought her to the brothel and named her, herself.

"I'm fine, Meredy. The man was just a lot bigger than I'm used to." The blonde recognized the sympathy in the girl's emerald eyes.

All the girls all were subject to the same abuse, but Lucy received the worst of it. Her doll-like features made her more desirable to the sick twisted men who used them to fulfill their disgusting desires.

"I'm sorry. I can get you some water if you want." The blonde thanked the pink haired girl before pulling out her spiral notebook from under her sheets.

The girls were never allowed to have journals, but that didn't stop them from sneaking them from the Madam's office when they had the chance. If any of them were ever caught with the bound pages they would be punished for sure.

The platinum blonde preteen flipped through the dirty pages wondering if she should describe her encounter with the well-endowed male while it was still fresh in her mind, though the thought slipped from her mind as fast as it came when the emerald-eyed girl returned with a dirty glass of water.

"Thank you, Mer."The girl gulped the liquid contents down, scrunching her nose at the gritty texture of the dirt that had been mixed in.

What she would give for a clear clean glass of water.

The blonde put the glass down beside her cot before picking up her notebook again. Without thinking the girl flipped to the very first page to read the scribbled writing.

April X779

_A nice girl named Meredy found a couple of journals today. I was told if I get caught with it I am going to be in so much trouble. Even so, I can't help but feel excited that I can write in something again. I have only been here for I think 3 days. Nothing too horrible has happened to me yet, but all the girls tell me it will soon._

May X779

_Today I cried a lot. Madam had a doctor come into the basement to 'check' us out. I've never been so scared in my life. I screamed and screamed and hoped someone would help me but all of the girls, even Meredy, just watched as I was tied down and something was shoved up in me. It was so painful. I had no idea what was happening. The doctor hit me a lot. He told me I wasn't being a good girl so he stuck me with a needle then I don't remember anything._

Lucy felt hot tears well up in her eyes before skipping to yet another entry.

June X779

_Today I learned what a penis is. I don't really know how I feel about it. It looked kind of gross, and when I said that out loud I got hit in the face by the man who showed it to me. I don't understand honestly. It looked nasty. He tried to get me to open my mouth but I bit him on his hand. He didn't like that so he grabbed me by my hair. I screamed and screamed until Madam came into the room. I thought she was going to make the man leave but she hit me really hard and told me to listen to him. I cried while she grabbed my face and forced me to put the man's penis in my mouth._

_I threw up and all I remember was being thrown into a wall before blacking out._

The blonde shook her head while trying to wipe away the now flowing salty liquid from her face. She had been so naïve. So innocent then.

July X779

_Today they held me down against my will and drugged me with something. I felt so tired and strange after. I remember seeing a man above me while pain seemed to cover my whole body. My eyes were so heavy and I felt like I was floating, but even so, I just seem to remember being in a lot of pain. I think I might have blacked out because when I woke up my legs and stuff was covered in blood and it hurt to move. I cried there not understanding anything until someone came and got me and made me take a cold bath._

Lucy remembered this entry. It was the loss of her innocence.

At that time, Lucy had no clue what had been happening to her. Now, of course, she was no stranger to the pains of intercourse. She knew what to expect and she didn't have to be drugged to get through a session anymore. That might be why men request her more often now.

August X779

_I got beaten again today. Some of the men like to be really mean to me. I opened my mouth as wide as I could, why didn't he understand that? I tried the best that I could to put it all the way in my mouth but he was too big, licking was all I was able to do. One guy threw me on the ground and started to shove it into my mouth. I started crying because I wasn't able to breathe. I think he liked it though because it didn't take him too long to finish. I threw up after._

The blonde sniffled. Her abuse looked so horrific on paper.

September X779

_Today was checkup day. I must not have done too well because as soon as I peed a stick that they gave me, they rushed me into another room where they stuck something inside me. I think they were torturing me because it felt even worst then having a penis inside me. They taped my mouth so I wouldn't scream. I guess they knew I was loud so they thought ahead. When I got too loud they just stuck me with a needle in my arm until I didn't feel anything._

This entry hurt the most. It wasn't until Meredy had gone through the same thing a few months later did the platinum blonde haired girl understand what they did to her. Had she really been so sheltered from the world that she didn't even know what a pregnancy test was?

October X779

_After checkup day I wasn't supposed to have any visitors, but I guess it wasn't that bad because I still serviced 8 men today. It hurt so much that madam stuck me with a needle to drug me just so I could get done with 8. She wanted me to do more, but at least Meredy was able to talk her into using her instead. I cried because she's too sweet for me to even write about. I'm still bleeding really bad. I hope it stops soon._

November X779

_I can't feel my feet, it's so cold that I think if I fall asleep I might not wake up again. Today I was forced to shove a penis up inside my butt. It hurt so bad that I couldn't stop crying. I bled a lot, I thought that I might die from that. I hurt so bad and my body feels so tired. I hope I can stay awake a little longer._

Lucy remembered this entry. The madam didn't have heat in the basement and all had to use as blankets were old dirty thin sheets. How cruel of Madam Ultear to just let them freeze. The only heat they got during the winter was when they were up in the house servicing men.

December X779

_Madam Ultear told me that I am the favorite girl of her clients today. I don't know if I like the sound of that. I want to be left alone but I think now I am going to end up with more men than the other girls. It's not fair. Why me?_

Lucy sniffled while she blinked her eyes, deciding that was enough of that, the blonde flipped to the back where there were still ink free pages before she set to writing about her day.

July X780

_It's my birthday today. I'm 13 now.. and today, I took the biggest dick I have ever seen. It hurt so much that Madam had to carry me back to the basement. I want to go home._

The blonde felt the pen slip from her hands while fresh tears slipped onto the page she had been looking at. Tears flowed while a whimper left the young girl's lips.

Why had she been fated to such a cruel life?

The blonde's body throbbed while her womanhood pulsed from the abuse it had endured while she moved to lay on her cot before returning the notebook to its original hiding place.

Reading her old handwriting had the blonde crying in her arms while she lay on her stomach.

None of the other girls moved to console her, after all, there was nothing they could do. They had all been in the blonde's place at one point in time and they couldn't offer any words of encouragement because things don't get better. They keep going through a constant whirlwind of never-ending pain, depression, and loneliness.

Here, things do not get better. They either stay the same or get worse.

* * *

_Three years later. March X783._

Long golden blonde hair that faded into pale ended tips pooled on the bed beneath the now panting young teen. Over the course of three years, Madam Ultear had stopped bleaching the girl's hair seeing it as an unnecessary expense.

The negligence of keeping the blonde's identity a secret had worked out in the Madam's favor for Lucy's natural golden hued locks proved to be an even bigger turn on for the pedophiles that bedded her.

The teen let out a small breath, that was her last appointment of the day and she was completely drained.

"Thank you, gorgeous. I will see you again in a few weeks." The blonde let out a small whimper, just like her currently client liked her to. This particular man liked the blonde to remain submissive and fearful until he left from her presence. She should know, after all- he's been coming to her at least twice a month almost religiously since she was brought to the brothel four years ago.

The blonde waited anxiously for the slender male to button up his brown slacks before turning to give her a kiss on the cheek. The girl inwardly gagged at the man's breath. The humid air was tainted with the smoky smell of cigars.

Lucy let out a visible heavy sigh of relief once the door finally closed behind the haphazardly dressed man as he left the room. The blonde kicked her legs over the bed before pushing her body up to stretch the somewhat sore muscles of her back.

The young woman didn't even try to cover her body when the door swung open not even a minute after the male had left. The blonde took in the stoic face of her madam standing in the doorway.

She was obviously there to escort the honey-eyed girl to the basement once again. The blonde  _almost_ rolled her eyes. She knew the way to the dingy dungeon. She didn't need a chaperon 40 times a day, it's not like she had anywhere to run to.

"Well done, Ashley. Another satisfied client. You have one more before the day is through. Move into the room next door." The blonde looked at the long ebony haired woman as she gestured to the room on the left. The teen gave the woman a perplexed look, the client that just left should have been her last appointment of the day.

"Madam, please forgive me, but I thought I was already done." The blonde flinched away when the woman's hard glare was pinned on her naked form.

"Do not question me, little whore!" Lucy braced herself for the backhand she knew was coming, she just hadn't expected the additional slap on the ass to get her moving. The blonde wasn't even able to pick up her 'uniform' before being rushed to stand in front of the door of the room on the left.

Hopefully, her new client liked a sticky, naked girl instead of a freshly cleaned sexily dressed one. A small grin slipped on the blonde's face at the thought.

The blonde still holding her pained cheek opened the door to the room before stepping inside and shutting the wood back into place

The honey-eyed teen took in the sight of the man leaning against the wall, His light blue eyes down cast, just like they always were when she would enter the room. His rusty brown hair was slicked back away from his face while he remained motionless against the white paint of the wall.

Lucy silently walked over to the bed before moving to lift the heavy comforter from its original place to wrap the weighty fabric around her naked frame, just like he had instructed her to do time and time again.

The long blonde haired teen had never really understood what this man wanted when he would visit he, especially since he never even touched her. Most of the men that came to her were for their sick and twisted desires to torture or defile a child.

This man, however, didn't want that. He only liked to converse with her.

Something the madam told her she was never allowed to do with a client.

But after seeing the man at least one time a week for almost 3 months now, and sitting in silence together, she finally started to relent to some of his questions.

The questions weren't anything horrible or perverted. He never inquired about if she had a real name, and never did he ask her how she ended up in the brothel in the first place. Most of the time, he just asked her questions about how she felt that day.

He wanted to know if she was happy, or if she ever dreamed of a different life.

A  _better_  life.

He was different. Lucy had never been touched by this man, even though the first couple of times she had tried to coax him into bed with her, because that's all she knew.

She was taught from a young age to bed the man, let him do what he wants with you, be what he desires, scream if that's what they want, call them master, daddy or whatever ridiculous name they wanted to be called.

Her purpose was to fulfill the desires of the men that came to her. If she didn't she would be reprimanded, shamed and even hazed by not only the Madam, but some of the other girls as well.

Just because she was the most desired whore, didn't mean she was the Madam's favorite, after all. Most of the time, Lucy's punishments were far more severe than any other the other girls.

But this man?

He wanted nothing to do with her body. He even made her cover up every single time they were in the room together.

"When is the last time you wore normal clothes that were your own?" The question was odd, but the young teen answered it regardless.

It didn't seem like a harmful question.

"I think almost four years ago." The blonde whispered. If the Madam heard them talking, she would no doubt suspect something was suspicious, which it did seem that way when a man comes to an illegal underage brothel and doesn't want to fuck the children.

The blonde winced at the thought, how is that wrong? It seems like that would be normal.

Then again, the blonde really wasn't sure if she knew if she could dictate what would be considered normal.

Even before she was kidnapped and brought to the brothel, her father was hardly a  _father_. She didn't have the picture-perfect family, even when her mother was still alive.

But at least her mom loved her- at least she had cared about what happened to her.

"Do you know how long it has been since I first started to visit you?" Honey eyes blinked when the man's voice bounced off the white of the walls.

What an odd question.

"About 3 months, I think." The blonde always left her answers short and sweet and never asked the male any questions, no matter how much she may have wanted to.

She had never been allowed to ask any of her clients questions and even though this was an extremely peculiar client, she wouldn't risk being punished no matter how much she wanted to sate her need for answers from the large built man in front of her.

"Do you remember what I told you the first time I was here?" The blonde thought back to the first time she had met the man still leaning against the wall. She had tried so hard to please him, but all he wanted from her was to sit on the bed and cover her body.

The young teen had been so anxious about leaving the rusty colored haired man unfulfilled when it was his time to leave that she had practically begged the male to let her service him.

The thought made the blonde shudder, she must have looked like some crazed sex fiend the way she had pleaded. Lucy would like to think that it wasn't entirely her fault. She had been groomed since the very first day she arrived here to please a man and she didn't want to be penalized by the Madam for not fulfilling her duties.

Lucy let her mind think back to the first day of his arrival. He had promised her that he wouldn't touch her and that all he wanted from her was conversations, but she had to keep them from her Madam at all costs. In exchange for her cooperation, he would bring her food and let her enjoy her time away from the basement in peace.

She had eagerly obeyed the blue-eyed man, after all- if that was his request, she couldn't deny him and she got something out of it as well.

The man had brought her so many tasty candies and yummy sweets over the course of his appointments that she had actually hoped he would start coming to the brothel more often.

"Yes. I remember." The blonde looked at the man once again before wrapping the blanket around her still naked body tighter.

"You haven't told anyone about our conversations, have you, kiddo?" The blonde quickly shook her head from side to side. She didn't know this man but for only an hour every week, but she didn't want to make him mad at her.

He was the only client that didn't abuse or use her in some way.

"Good girl. Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully, kiddo. This is very important." The blonde shrunk back at the authoritative tenor of the male's voice. She knew that whatever he was about to say was going to be bad. She knew that tone. It either meant she was in trouble or about to get abused.

But regardless the blonde bobbed her head up and down, a silent indication that she was listening.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I am here today instead of my usual appointment time. Well, the reason for that is because I wanted to let you know that my team and I finally got the approval we needed to raid this place." The blonde girl didn't have a clue what the blue-eyed man was talking about.

As if seeing the confusion on her face, the rusty-haired male let out a booming laugh.

"In just one more minute, my team will be busting through the front door. You and the other kiddos will be free from this life of servitude, Ashley." The naked blonde haired girl felt tears descending down her face when not even a second later the sounds of a loud bang and yelling met her ears.

The young teen could only stare dumbfounded at the grinning face of the burnt orange-haired man in front of her.

"Happy freedom day, Ashley." The blonde sniffled when the male moved to pat her on the head, the teen jumped slightly at first contact he ever initiated with her.

"L..Lucy. My real name is Lucy." The blonde looked up at the rusty-haired male with a watery smile. This was too good to be true. Lucy couldn't help but think that she was dreaming.

"Well nice to meet you, Lucy. You can call me Detective Clive. It's because of you that we were able to gather up all the evidence we needed to shut this place down once and for all." The male grinned down at the now red-rimmed puffy eyed blonde as she openly sobbed while gripping the blanket around her body for dear life.

"I guess I should go lend them a hand. You stay put for now, either I or someone else will come get you here shortly once everyone else has been taken care of." The blonde only nodded her head slowly while she watched her savior exit the room.

Male cusses and feminine screams filled the air as multiple pedophiles and the Madam of the brothel were subdued then arrested.

Shortly after the chaos had calmed down, true to Detective Clive's words, Lucy and the girls were round up to be taken to hospitals to be screened for the next phase of being placed into facilities or foster care systems across the continent.

* * *

The blonde haired girl firmly grasped the fabric between her legs while she sat in the office chair across from the strangers sitting in front of her.

After Detective Clive rescued her from the brothel, she was separated from the other girls of the house, including Meredy. Each young teen was sent to different cities and put into various rehabilitation programs throughout Fiore.

Lucy was sent to a town called Magnolia to be placed in a rehabilitation center for abused and neglected children where she began counseling and interviews with authorities about her time in the brothel.

Most days in the rehab center the blonde chose to remain unresponsive. She desperately wanted to rid herself of the memories of that horrid house, but all the personnel wanted to do was keep ripping apart the remaining parts of her abused psyche. They wanted to delve deeper and deeper into her exploitation and reveal the true horrors of her time within the Madam's clutches.

It wasn't until one month after her rescue she finally relented and told the personnel everything they wanted to know. The blonde had put on the face of the girl that had spent four years in the brothel, she reconnected with the young girl who had lost her innocence too early and played the part of the victim when she recounted all the pain and suffering she went through at such a tender age.

She reluctantly handed over the dirty notebook she had managed to grab when the time came for her to leave the house she had called home for four years of her childhood, or what remained of it.

The staff made copies of every single page to store away within the blonde's steadily growing evaluation folder file before giving back the only thing that was without a doubt hers.

The memories written within that faded and torn notebook were repulsing, but they were the only thing she had left to remember her innocence by. When she reread over the first few entries she felt like she had somehow obtained a piece of herself that was stolen away. She could imagine herself as the naive little blonde who didn't understand what was going on around her.

Now she just felt…

Empty.

It was a month later that the facility staff started to discuss the prospects of the blonde living in a foster care facility for potential adoption once her mental evaluation along with her physical evaluation had been completed.

Her file had been stamped and approved and shortly after the teen had been shipped off to Magnolia's foster care facility for adoptable children.

There she received homeschooling with a variety of other kids all varying in ages. While it most certainly wasn't the ideal family she had had in mind growing up, it was a hell of a lot better than being beaten and stuck in a basement with hardly any light and no clean water to drink. At least at the foster home she had a bed and all the clean water she could drink.

That was enough for her.

Another had month passed and the blonde's profile was surprisingly matched with a family looking to adopt a daughter. She was older than most of the other kids in the facility, especially with her sixteenth birthday being only one month away, but she was exactly what this family was looking for to add to their already blended family.

The blonde let her eyes move up to slowly gaze at the family that wanted to give her a new place to call home.

"What do you say, Lucy?" The blonde looked over all of the members.

They had all seen her file, they were all informed of what she had endured over the last four years, and yet they all regarded her with nothing but hopeful happiness that she would agree to their kind offer of adoption.

Living with new strangers once again frightened the blonde, but she knew if she stayed in the foster care facility, she would eventually age out and be sent on her own into the world, with no family and no guidance.

That thought frightened her even more.

The blonde didn't have to trust them immediately, but she could at least give them a chance, she owed them that much for being kind enough to want to take her in.

"Okay." The blonde watched as the family light up, excited to be receiving a new child into their blended mix.

June X783

_Today, I was adopted._

* * *

**To the people who wanted me to continue this, thank you so much for the encouragement. I bet y'all are wondering who adopted her, huh!? Truth be told, I still haven't decided on which family I want to adopt her yet. I think I might have a few thoughts on who would be best suited, though. If you have any ideas feel free to leave a review!**

**The next chapters will focus on Lucy transitioning into a 'normal' family type of setting. Since technically this is in the middle of summer, (I'm in America so I plan on using traditional American school years) She will get to spend time with her new family and get introduced to her new sibling/s friends. Will she be able to adapt?**

**If you want to see the continuation of this story, leave me reviews! It helps me write and inspires me! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I run off on my mini family reunion, I thought I would update this one. Let me know your thoughts. :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The ride back to her new home had been uncomfortable for the blonde. She sat in relative silence while the two adults tried to make small talk by asking questions about herself. Though, when Lucy wasn't able to answer seemingly simple inquiries like what her favorite food was or what she liked to do in her free time, the two adults finally gave up. The rumbling of the engine filled the awkward silence as they drove down the paved road.

Apprehensive chocolate orbs darted from one place to the other when the vehicle finally came to its final halt and Lucy was able to exit the spacious SUV belonging to her new adoptive parents. The blonde's jaw slightly unhinged when she took in the overwhelmingly large residence that was situated in front of her.

The blonde openly gawked at the large structure that was to be her new home. Never did she ever consider herself living in a house this spacious ever again.

Then again, Lucy didn't think she would be lucky enough to be adopted either since her older age made her less desirable to prospecting adopting families.

A feather-light brush against her arm caused the astounded blonde to jump from the gentle contact. The teen twisted around, bringing her arm up slightly to cover her face in an involuntary attempt to shield herself out of habit; only to be met with apologetic cerulean crystal eyes.

The diffident woman removed her hand before putting it behind her back, a simple gesture to show the girl that she didn't mean any harm by the movement. The older female tilted her head to the side, causing her long pale sky colored hair to bounce back and forth in its place tied in a bun high on her scalp.

"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to startle you." The blonde timidly glanced away embarrassed by her involuntary reaction, only to have her eyes dart back toward the vehicle when the SUV door slammed and booming laughter startled not only the teen, but also the pale haired woman that had been trying to console her.

"What are you two doing just standing there? We have to introduce Lucy to the rest of our weird family!" The long blonde haired teen shied away from the over-exuberant man before he was able to get too close to her.

While Lucy found it nice that he was so enthusiastic about having her around, she couldn't help the small flashbacks of other men that had also been delighted by her company for other  _vulgar_  reasons in the not so distant past. The blonde haired girl knew in her current state she was not yet stable enough to trust, no matter how nice the pair before her seemed to be.

It was to be expected from someone coming out of a situation such as hers, after all.

While her sexual abuse had almost always been dealt by the male gender, most her physiological and emotional abuse was inflicted by a woman. A woman so evil, that she alone had caused most- if not more- of Lucy's traumatic life-altering experiences.

The blonde shuddered at the thought.

Though she kept telling herself that she didn't need to trust these people- her new adoptive family- and that she needed to stay guarded at all costs, Lucy couldn't keep the voice of the lost and confused little girl that had been ripped from her at such a young age from screaming out at the chance to take hold of the opportunity set before her. Her inner child begged to be part of an actual family again.

The small lingering thread of her lost innocence wants parental figures in her life, she wants to have a chance at a normal childhood, no matter how fleeting the moment might be for her already more adult-like personality and physical appearance.

The little girl she used to be longed so much for the comfort of an actual family that Lucy practically ached for loving parental figures, even if they were not of her own blood.

The blonde girl let out a fearful squeak when the unruly redheaded man closed in on her, causing the teen to shrink in closer to her new adoptive mother while the older woman put her hand out to stop the laughing male before he could get any closer to the apprehensive girl.

"Igneel, would you give the girl some room to breathe! This is a lot for Lucy to take in. Let her go at her own pace!" The look on the heavy built male made the blonde  _almost_ crack a smile. The goofy grin that seemed to stay ever present on his face dropped to be replaced by sad puppy dog eyes and a fake pout. It was comical, to say the least.

"Okay. In that case, I'll just go make sure the heathen didn't destroy the house while we were gone." The dejected male practically drug his slumped over form to the door, causing Lucy to watch in mild amusement while she wondered just who this heathen was that he spoke of.

"Lucy, how are you feeling dear?" Dark honey brown eyes moved from the entryway of the house where the redhead had disappeared then back to the woman standing beside her.

The blonde took the moment to take in the older woman's features. Though her face was obviously weathered by time with small fine lines across her face, Lucy still thought she was still was breathtaking. Her stunning crystal eyes pierced into what felt like the girl's very soul while the pale azure-haired woman's smile shifted into a worried line the longer the blonde took to speak.

"Just drained, honestly." The teen left it at that. This morning when she woke up, she would have never believed she would be adopted. The blonde didn't have much to her name, so packing had been relatively easy, but emotionally she felt like she had been on an exhilarating roller coaster.

Which had the teen wonder, why did they adopt her in the first place? The foster facility had plenty of children to choose from, they were allowed to view their potential adopted child's files, so why would they choose someone with a history such as hers?

The brown-eyed girl jumped once again when the door to the home was flung open to reveal a long white haired teen just a little older than Lucy. Lucy observed as the girl's sapphire eyes lit up when they landed on the older woman still standing beside her.

"Grandeeney! Igneel said you two had a surprise for everyone!~" The white-haired beauty's eyes glanced from the pale haired woman beside her to hone in on the confused blonde. A high pitched squeal left the teen before she ran back inside, slamming the door shut. Lucy could hear indistinct yelling and footsteps as if multiple people were running around inside the house.

"Oh, dear. It looks like we've been found out. I swear none of the men around here can keep secrets." Lucy looked back to the woman while she let out a defeated sigh before her smile found it's way back on her face, causing the skin beside her blue eyes to crinkle just a bit.

"Was that one of my new siblings?" The blonde deadpanned while she listened to what sounded like screaming before a loud thump sounded from somewhere inside the large house. Lucy felt a sweat drop form on her forehead.

"They're over enough that they might as well be. We are a very large intertwined family. We always have teenagers- and boneheaded men that still act like teenagers, for that matter- running around the house, but no, we didn't adopt  _all_ of them. You could say that she's more like your cousin." Grandeeney's smile faltered when another yell was heard from the house along with a crash while a string of colorful male curses was heard.

"I see. Do I even want to know what's going on in there?" The blonde shrunk away from the noises coming from the seemingly chaotic household. She hadn't even set foot in the house yet and Lucy was finding herself wondering if she would be able to stand all of the eccentric commotion.

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to, it's always a mystery." The pale haired woman giggled while bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Grandeeney knew that their blended mix of both parental figures and children was a little overwhelming, but all the kids were as sweet as could be. They might all be a little over exuberant, but that's what made their lives fun.

"Would you like to go in, Lucy? If Mirajane is here, then that means that you have a special visitor!" The blonde looked up at the pale-haired woman, Lucy's heart thumping at an alarming rate at the mention of a 'special visitor'. As far as the blonde knew, no one was to know who she was. She was not Lucy Heartfilia, and she wasn't Ashley of the Brothel anymore. She had a new identity, this was a fresh start for her and no one should know of her life from her former household or of her brothel alias.

The blonde felt a tight squeeze on her heart while a pained thought slipped into her mind like an electric shock, sending her back to reality.

Was this all just a setup? Had she been lured into yet another brothel by the false hopes of a  _family_?

The blonde felt like she was going to be sick. Her body shook violently while her head spun from the shock of likely being tricked out of the system so easily. Was it that easy to adopt children? Could child abusers really take kids out of the system that easily?

Lucy felt her heart throb painfully against her ribcage while bile rose up into her throat, before she registered what she was doing- the blonde was kneeling on the lawn, the contents of her stomach emptied themselves onto the freshly manicured grass. Her long hair curtained around her face while the ends pooled onto the green grass she was currently clawing into to keep herself grounded.

"Lucy! Are you okay!?" The blonde dry heaved while she tried to bat away the hands of the older woman.

She  _would not_  be taken back into another house to live under another evil woman and service vile men.

_She refused_.

The young teen let out an alarmed shriek when Grandeeney wrapped her arms around the blonde's middle, terrified the woman was going to haul her inside the house against her will.

"Lucy, it's okay! Please, calm down!" The blonde didn't listen, she wouldn't listen to her sugar-coated words of pure poison. Lucy would run, all she needed to do was get out the pale haired woman's arms. It wouldn't be too hard, she was younger- frail and weak from malnutrition, but still younger. Surely, Lucy could work her way from Grandeeney's grasp.

"What the hell is going on out here? I heard screamin'." The blonde stilled in the older woman's arms while her wide tear-filled honey brown eyes glanced up to the voice that came from the entrance of the household.

Through unshed tears, the long blonde haired teen could make out a blurred vision of rusty brown hair as the figure of a man came to kneel beside her on the cool ground. Lucy could still feel her heart slapping relentlessly against her ribcage while she watched a whole crowd of both young and old form from out of the house to watch her frantic melt down.

"Hey there, kiddo. Nice to see you made it into the family." Lucy didn't know if she should cry from the anxiety or laugh from relief when Detective Clive moved to help both she and Grandeeney up from the lawn.

So, she did neither- instead Lucy felt a calming darkness wash over her while her body went lax before she fell back down to the cold hard unforgiving Earth. Her heart still trying to recover from the frantic pace it had set for its self. She felt her eyelids close as she was lulled into unconsciousnesses by the sounds of multiple adults calling out her name in panicked concern.

* * *

"All I said was that she had a special visitor. I'm such a fool." Grandeeney slumped down further into the couch, her legs underneath her body while she used her arms as a cushion for her head on the armrest. Of all the things she could have said, she said something that triggered her new daughter. What a terrible mother she felt like right now.

"It's not your fault, Grandeeney. Lucy's fragile, anything could set her off. We don't know what will bring on bad memories for her. It will take a little while for her to adjust and trust people again." The pale haired woman felt tears stream down her face while the rusty-haired male pat her head.

When Gildarts had mentioned he knew of a girl that needed a loving and caring home, both she and Igneel had jumped at the idea of allowing another lost child a place in their home and a second chance at a having a better childhood.

But now?

Grandeeney was terrified she wouldn't be able to do right by the blonde haired teen, and not because she didn't want to- no, the exact opposite in fact. The pale haired woman was so worried that in her attempts to help the still healing and obviously traumatized young teen, she would end up setting her off. She didn't know what was going to bring on another anxiety attack like that. She couldn't even fathom what was going on in the blonde's head when she had said those words to her.

Probably something horrific, she was sure.

"I just want to help her. I'm so scared I am going to fail her." Cerulean eyes glistened with unshed tears blurring her vision while strong tattooed arms moved to wrap around the weeping woman in an attempt to comfort her.

"We will do everything we can to make Lucy feel safe here. She has a huge family now with a lot of uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, and sisters- whatever she wants to call us. We may not all be blood, in fact- most of us really aren't, but that doesn't mean we aren't a family. We love each other and are there for each other when we need it and that's what truly makes us a family." Grandeeney moved one of her hands to grip at Igneel's forearm while he comforted his distressed wife, neither of them paying attention to the various other adults still in the room.

"Yeah, don't go worryin' so much, Grandeeney, we all know if anyone is capable of raisin' a troubled lil' brat, it's your ass." The pale haired woman sent a playful glare across the room to the long dark brunette haired male with the foul mouth.

"Though I don't particularly care for his crass way of saying it, Metalicana is right." Azure blue met ruby red orbs while Skiadrum sighed from his spot in the recliner, the ebony haired male made a point to send his actual blood-related brother a pointed glance.

"We will all have talks with our children tonight, fret not Grandeeney. Lucy will feel welcome in any of our homes, just like all the other children." The pale haired woman moved her eyes from the two dark-haired brothers that were currently giving each other a stare down, both their wives rolling their eyes at their respective husband- to look at the white haired male sitting on the other love seat with his wife, who nodded with a small smile.

"Thank you, Weiss. Thank you, all." Grandeeney moved to wipe away her tears while her husband kept his arms firmly clamped around her. Her eyes moved from the front door, hearing all the kids outside moving around the house to the backyard then glanced at the stairs leading up to the second story.

After Lucy had passed out, Igneel had picked up the exhausted child and carried her to one of the empty rooms they used as a guest bed, which would eventually become Lucy's permanent room. The rest of the adults had been able to keep the other children from following the two adoptive parents of the blonde as they went to settle her into what would be her new room.

The pale blue-haired woman sighed. Lucy would wake up in an unfamiliar place, but she wouldn't wake up alone.

The woman moved to stand before tossing a look back to the rather large group of adults. They had all been friends throughout their teen years and school life, she knew these people and trusted them just like a family should.

"I'm going to go wait for Lucy to wake up, it shouldn't be long now." Grandeeney made it to the staircase before two separate hands belonging to two different men grabbed her arm. The blue-eyed woman turned to look at both her husband and Gildarts. It was probably wise for the detective to be there when the blonde woke up, anyway. Giving a small silent nod, they ascended up the steps together.

* * *

"Did you get a good look at her? Natsu, your new sister is a total hottie!" The pink haired teen growled while lunging at the teasing blonde, Sting had been getting on his nerves all day today and this was just the icing on the cake. He hadn't been able to get a good glance at the blonde girl before his dad had carried her into the house.

Natsu and Wendy had both tried to follow their adoptive parents, but were stopped by everyone else's.

"Oi, shut the fuck up light bulb. You didn't see her either." Natsu snickered when the long ebony haired boy smacked Sting on the back, causing the said male to growl from the force of the blow.

"To be fair, none of us really got a good glimpse at her except for Mira when she went outside to check on Grandeeney." The younger white-haired girl spoke up to the group, causing all eyes to land on the longer snowy haired teen. A deep smirk slipped across the gossip of the group at the chance to dish out all the details to anyone who would listen.

"She really is gorgeous. She has long golden hair that fades into pale blonde down her back, big brown eyes, cherry pink lips. A Nice body, too" Mira winked and giggled while she confirmed to all of the other curious teens, they all wondered what the new addition to their mismatched family would be like.

It had been a complete surprise for all of them, they had no idea that Grandeeney and Igneel had decided to adopt another kid, it made both Natsu and Wendy more excited than the rest.

Natsu because he got another sister and friend to protect, and Wendy because she got a big sister she can still spend time with when everyone else goes back home with their respective parents.

"Hey hey hey, don't be talking 'bout her like that." Natsu yelled up to the sky while throwing a random punch which just so happened to deck Gajeel.

"A real man doesn't care about what a woman looks like, anyway!" Elfman joined the improv fight while landing a hit on Sting in the process, thus pulling the more than willing blonde into the fray.

"Oi, Rogue. Put the damn book down and help a buddy out, will ya'? The blonde haired teen yelled at the boy currently sitting under the tree, who waved him off with a flick of his wrist before turning to the next page in the novel he was currently reading.

"Let me finish this chapter, and then I'll think about helping you." The ebony haired teen smirked while not even giving the blonde a glance, however, a loud annoying laugh did get the red-eyed teen's attention enough for the boy to let out an irritated sigh.

"You know damn well Ryos ain't puttin' that book down anytime soon, light bulb. You're on your own just like the rest of us." Gajeel's odd cackle was cut off when a blur of blue knocked him off his feet.

"Nuhh uhh, only you and Sting are alone here, Gajeel! I have Natsu's back." The small blue haired preteen smiled as she danced around the long ebony haired male's body, sidetracking him. Even the girls had been pulled in now.

"Okay, enough all of you, break it up. Break it up!" Groans echoed throughout the now dog pile of teens as everyone tried to remove themselves from the tangled mess they had got themselves in. Skiadrum and Kyla broke up the bunch of children, only to notice that theirs was not in the large pile of teenage angst.

"Rogue?" The russet-haired woman called, looking for her son amongst the now sprawled out bunch of youth while her husband removed the blonde haired male teen from the pile, a smirk on his face at the rowdiness of the youth.

"Over here, mom." The ebony haired teen stood from his spot before dusting off his backside, making sure no dirt clung to his clothes. He noticed that all of the other parents had filed out of the house and started nabbing up their respective teens.

"Time to head on home, Rogue. We have things to talk about." The ebony haired teenager just nodded his head while his father came to stand before him.

"Oi, Uncle Skia, Aunt Kyla, can I come over?" Sting popped his head out from behind the brunette woman, a large smirk on his face. Rogue just shook his head when his father gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Gotta ask your mom and dad first."The blonde haired teen groaned while letting them know he would catch up with them later, knowing well enough that his father wasn't going to just let him run off when he had promised to help him with yard work earlier that day. The dark-haired family watched the blonde run back into the fray to find his own parents before setting off toward their own home.

The walk took no more than 5 minutes seeing as they lived right down the street. The band of merry adults had moved into a cul-de-sac long ago when they first started to get married and come into the world as adults after finishing out their teenage years in high school. They had always stayed close, even when growing up as kids, so it made sense for them to all live by one another.

Grandeeney had been adamant on getting a large enough house so they could all live together, but her dream had been easily tossed aside when most of the men agreed that it would be best for the individual families to have privacy of their own. Well, that and prices for large multi-family homes were outrageous in Magnolia.

It's not like it mattered, everyone was always gathered at each other's homes always, and it got even worse when they started having kids or adopting.

The ebony haired teen took off his shoes in the entryway before making his way to the table, where he placed his book while his mom and dad followed him.

"Sit down, Rogue. We need to have a chat about the new girl." Kyla sat at the table, patting the space next to her. Crimson irises observed as his father sat on the other side without a word, an indication that he should do as he was told.

"What new girl?" The male teenage sat in the vacant seat, confusion slipping across his usual passive face. Rogue knew that there had been commotion earlier in Natsu and Wendy's front yard, but he hadn't got up to investigate since he was too engrossed with the new book he had purchased yesterday to care.

"Kid, you really need to start paying attention to your surroundings." The ebony haired man deadpanned, a tanned hand coming to rest on his temple while his wife stared wide-eyed at their oblivious and seemingly perplexed son.

Did he really not have a clue what was going on?

"Stop staring at me like that! It's a really good book, okay?" The teen moved to stand up out of embarrassment but a pale feminine hand moved to grip at his wrist, keeping him firmly in place.

"Okay, I get it, Rogue. Sit back down, this is important." Crimson eyes narrowed in on his mother face, taking in the fine lines that formed between her brows. Seeing how important it was to both his mother and father, Rogue sat back down in his chair.

* * *

Wide chocolate and deep onyx eyes gazed at the serene blonde currently situated under a thick comforter. After all of the others had left, Igneel allowed the two kids to peek in at their newest sibling. However, their quick glance slowly morphed into stares of fascination as they watched the golden-locked teen sleep.

"Wow. She's so pretty! Just like Mira." The wide-eyed bluenette giggled while Grandeeney pushed the two out of the room, worried that so many people crowded in the room would frighten the poor girl if or when she woke up.

"Yeah, I guess so." The salmon haired teen turned away while a rosy blush dusted his cheeks. When it came to Snowy haired beauties, there was only one girl that would slip into the forthright of his mind, and that was Mira's younger sister- Lisanna. Though, Natsu definitely couldn't deny that the blonde now dubbed as his newest younger sister was quite the looker as well.

A groan found its way out of the older teen's mouth while he walked with the long-haired girl, catching her attention. The thought of all the potential fights he would have to get in to protect the long blonde haired girl at school from perverts both excited and frustrated him at the same time.

While Natsu loved a good brawl, he just couldn't afford being suspended from school this coming year. Especially since Principle Makarov threatened to hold him back because his grades were positively terrible as is. Having a sister, especially a pretty one, going to the same school as he would seriously put him in the hot seat in the principal's office almost daily, just like Elfman. That guy was a beast when it came to defending his sisters' honor, and he had three! Two blood related- Mira and Lisanna and one related to his adopted father Gildarts- Cana.

"I'm so screwed this year!" Natsu held his head with balled up fists, a mop of unkempt crimson hair peaked out of the door of Lucy's room when the teen's obnoxious wail penetrated the walls.

"What's all the yellin' about, kid?" A grin plastered on Igneel's face causing the skin next to his eyes to wrinkle.

"Just tryin' to figure how I'm going to survive sophomore year." The salmon haired teen ignored the giggle from the 12-year-old girl while his father reached over to ruffle his already messed up mop of pink locks.

"You still got a month left of summer vacation, kiddo. No reason to worry about that now. I need you two to come with me downstairs. There are some things we need to talk about before Lucy wakes up." Both of the youths looked from one another to their dad before following the tattooed male down the stairs. Silence fell between them while they made their way to the kitchen table, it was only once they were all seated did Igneel finally decide to speak.

"Like a lot of the kids that have been adopted around here, Lucy has gone through a difficult time. However, Lucy's situation is.. Different. I wanted to let you two know now that it might take her more time to warm up to everyone. She might be scared, shy, and unable to trust, just know that this is all normal for a girl coming out of her type of situation." Bright green eyes regarded the youths. When it was clear that neither of them had any questions or need to voice their thoughts, Igneel continued.

"I know you two will treat her like family, but I am just asking you to be patient and kind with her, even if she isn't with you at first. It's probably been a real long time since she's had someone to trust. Wendy, you can go ahead and go. I need to talk to Natsu for a second." The blue haired girl smiled while she nodded her head, leaving her older brother and father alone while skipping back up the stairs to her room, ideas of how to make her new sister feel comfortable forming in her brain.

Natsu and Igneel watched the 12-year-old as she bounced up the stairs until she was completely out of sight.

"Look, Natsu. I'm telling you this now- man to man, and I am sure that all the other kiddos are getting the same lecture one way or any other, but since you are her brother you need to know exactly what is going on, because I won't be around her as much as you will." The pink haired teen gulped, the usual playful glint that lights up his father's emerald eyes were replaced by cold resolve. Igneel had the boy's full attention now, Natsu nodded his understanding- knowing that his father was about to drop the bomb that he couldn't when Wendy was still in the room.

"You know the type of work Gildarts does for the station, right?" Igneel watched and waited for the salmon haired male to confirm what he was asking.

"Uh, yeah. He is an undercover detective, right? Sometimes spies on people for months before collecting the data and evidence the rest of the force needs before an operation can be set up, yeah?" Igneel hummed his approval.

"You're correct. Well, Gildarts happened to meet Lucy during one of his undercover investigations. You see, Lucy is a victim of a human-trafficking organization." Natsu looked back at his father. The male was one to make jokes and pull pranks, but the salmon haired youth could tell by the hardness in the man's emerald green eyes that there was no joke to his words. What he said was the cold hard truth.

"I..I.. I honestly don't know what I should say.." The teen rubbed the back of his head. In all honestly, Natsu didn't really know what it meant to be a trafficking victim. Sure he's heard of human-trafficking, especially since his father and most of his uncles and aunts were part of criminal justice and the police force, hell they even covered it in school just a bit, but he was a teenager. Most youths didn't care to think or even believe that something like that could happen to them, so they wrote it off.

Igneel watched the confusion on his son's face morph into uncertain sadness and guilt. Of course, Igneel wasn't expecting the 16-year-old to completely understand what it meant to be a trafficking victim, but he knew Natsu was resourceful. If the pinkette wanted to know something he would ask or find out on his own.

"It's okay, Natsu. All I'm asking of you is to watch over her, and make sure no one tries to take advantage of her. She was only Wendy's age when she was first introduced into trafficking. I'm not so sure if she knows how she should act in the outside world, and we are concerned that could make her a target for bullies or people that'll try to use her naivety against her." The red-haired man moved to stand up, figuring that if the pink haired boy had any questions he would ask.

"I understand, dad. I'll protect her." The grin returned to the tattooed man's face while he reached his large palm up to smack the teen on the back. A bellowing laugh filling the silent kitchen.

"I never doubted you wouldn't." Natsu let his own grin mirror his father's. It would seem that the teen had a few things to look up before his new sister decided to finally wake up.


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING:**   **Rated MA for Explicit Graphic Depictions of Violence, Graphic Depiction of Rape/Non-Consensual Sex, Graphic Sex, Graphic Physical and Mental Abuse, Mental Instability, Hints and Implications Toward Underage Non-Consensual Sex, and Human Sex Trafficking of Minors. Please read at your own discretion.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Lucy sought comfort in the thick blanket that was draped over her body. It was almost  _too_ melancholy and held a sense of foreboding with the blonde. Even though she was in a different room, on a different bed, Lucy couldn't shake the feeling as if she was back at the brothel once again.

The feeling of the heavy material swathed across her frame while she spoke with the rust-colored haired male brought her back to the days of her forced enslavement. Even though the man standing before her was the very same man that opened up the doorway to her freedom, he was still an undeniable tether- a reminder of her horrific past.

And while Lucy had every reason to thank him, she also had every reason to want him gone. This man- Detective Gildarts- He knew her when she was Ashley of the brothel, he had seen her in what would undoubtedly be the worst chapter of her life. He had witnessed her grovel, trying her hardest to please him in fear of being punished if not. He had seen the desperation and the anguish she had endured.

Even if Grandeeney and Igneel had already seen her file, even if they already  _knew_ \- Gildarts was the living breathing proof. The man was a walking reminder of everything she wanted to forget and everything she wanted to leave behind in that old rotting brothel.

He had  _saved_  her from that life and yet, she couldn't stop the looming weight of the past four years as the memories of that horrid place clutched onto her. Would she be damned to a life of constant fear of her freedom- a basic human right- being stolen from her once again?

"Lucy." The blonde's eyes darted up from the comforter to look into steely blue orbs. The teen wanted so badly for herself to  _want_ the large male to leave, but looking into the eyes of her savior she was conflicted, she  _needed_ him to stay.

"I promise you will always be safe here. Every single one of these adults and kiddos 'round here is a part of my family, too. You can trust that you are in good hands. Grandeeney and Ingeel are two of my closest and most trusted friends. I have no doubt in my mind that you will be happy here, kid." Lucy felt her body relax and her hold on the blanket loosen. She had no reason not to trust Gildarts, and even though she still felt herself guarded, she found some comfort in his promise.

"Lucy, I am so sorry! I had no idea that I was going to upset you." Honey brown eyes met teary cerulean. Grandeeney moved to place her slinger fingers atop the blonde's hand, the teen jumping slightly from the sudden contact but didn't pull away.

The blonde teen could see that the pale blue-haired woman was distraught, which perplexed her a little since Lucy wasn't used to be people caring about whether or not she was upset.

"It's okay." Lucy forced a smile on her face, she still felt extremely uncomfortable here. All the attention in a new setting was unnerving and unwelcome, and the blonde just felt like she didn't belong here.

Lucy looked around at her surroundings once again. When she had first woke, she had been informed by Grandeeney that this was to be her room. The blonde's inquisitive eyes darted from one side to the other. Even in the foster facility, she hadn't the luxury of receiving her own room.

What was she even supposed to do with all of this space?

"We can go shopping in a bit so you can decorate your room how you want it?" Grandeeney offered when she noticed the blonde looking around the room. Lucy tried and failed to remember her room back at the Heartfilia household, even then she hadn't been allowed to decorate her own room.

"Um.. Okay." The blonde blinked.

_So uncomfortable and awkward!_

"Okay, kiddo. Igneel and I brought up your stuff while you were out, I guess we will just leave you to it, let Grandeeney know when you want to go shopping, I guess. We will all be downstairs." The blonde just blinked at Gildarts, a slow nod his only answer before her eyes moved to look at the two lone boxes that occupied the corner, the only possessions she owned.

"Is there a bathroom close by?" Lucy practically whispered when she looked at the now retreating adults.

"This is your bathroom, just make sure to lock the other door too since it leads out into the hallway." Grandeeney smiled before walking over to one of the other doors in the room to open it. Lucy's eyes widened at the large restroom.

"Th-thank you." Lucy almost squealed. She had her own bathroom! Her own room was already surprising enough, but this? The blonde moved up out of the bed before bowing to the three adults still lingering at her door. She should at the very least show them proper gratitude.

"You're very welcome. We will be downstairs if you need anything, Lucy." Lucy looked up to see Igneel smirking just as the door to her bedroom sealed closed, leaving her alone in her new room.

"My own room.. My own bathroom?" Lucy whispered to herself while her feet met the cold tile of her bathroom. Excited, the blonde moved the shower curtain to look at the white porcelain tub. It wasn't huge but it was the perfect size for her. A giddy delighted smile slipped across the girl's lips.

* * *

"Ehh, I don't know, Sting. My dad didn't say what type of trafficking victim. Just that she was a part of a human-trafficking organization." Natsu crossed his arms behind his head while leaning back in his chair, away from his computer. The headset atop his head currently relayed the voices of Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel while their faces lit up on the salmon-haired teen's screen as they played an online game.

"Yeah, well my dad wouldn't go into detail on the subject, just told me that I need to be extra nice and protective, but he says that about all the girls." Natsu observed as the blonde rolled his eyes when his character was shot and forced to re-spawn on the other side of the map.

"Yeah, well my ol' man threatened to smash all my shit if I wasn't nice to her." Natsu snickered when Gajeel groaned. Knowing Metalicana, he would definitely make that threat a reality.

It had already been a good three hours since everyone had left from his house, and his parents were still currently holed up in his newest sibling's room, waiting for her to wake up.

"Okay, enough of this stupid game for today, the lag is ruining my kill death ratio! Just see if you guys can come hang out again or something." Natsu didn't even wait for a reply before leaving the lobby and signing off the network. Not even a two minutes later, his cell phone was lighting up with multiple new text messages.

_***NEW TEXT MESSAGE** _ _-_

_**Light bulb:** _ _be over in a bit_

_**Light bulb:** _ _we should srsly get some food, im fuckin starving_

_***NEW TEXT MESSAGE-** _

_**Metal face** _ _: My old man aint having it. Maybe later._

_***NEW TEXT MESSAGE-** _

_**Emo nerd:** _ _See you in a few._

Natsu sighed while taking off his headset. Moving around his cluttered disaster of a room, he finally found the charging cable. Once the salmon haired teen was sure he wouldn't come back to a completely dead headset- _again_ , he set off out of his room and down the hallway in search of one of his parents. He would need to ask if he could borrow the truck so he, Sting, and Rogue could go get food.

"Mom? Dad? Can I borrow the truck? The guys and I are hungry and wanna go get some food." Natsu hollered while he took two steps at a time down the staircase. The two adults looked from where they were standing in the kitchen to the loud teen.

"Sure, Natsu. Lucy woke up about 40 minutes ago and your mom is taking her and Wendy out shopping anyways." The onyx eyed male nodded his head before the crimson haired adult tossed him the keys to the SUV. Natsu held up the keychain in confusion while inspecting the dangling girly trinkets that hid the actual vehicle and house keys. He knew he had specifically asked for the truck, not his mom's SUV.

"Dad! Come on, mom's? Seriously? It's so freakin' girly." Igneel burst out in a fit of chuckles at the teen's disgusted look while he held up the comical ball of key chains.

"Sorry, kiddo. It's better if they take the truck. Lucy needs a lot of things, and the SUV might not cut it." An undignified groan fell from the young male's lips at the thought of taking the 'mom car' as the boys have dubbed it.

"Fineeeee. But just for that I am getting an extra extra large order to spite you for the humiliation you're putting me through." Natsu smirked while Igneel's face dropped. The crimson haired man knew that today was going to be expensive and no doubt put a dent in their bank account, but his fiery son just seemed to want to make it even more so.

"Then don't forget to bring me back something too, you brat!" Igneel reached out the ruffle the boys already messed up hair just as the door flung open.

"We're back!~" Sting sang as he opened his arms wide while he entered the threshold to the Dragneel household, only to be drug right back out by a slightly cross Natsu who yelled over his shoulder that they would be back later. Rogue looked at the two adults as they waved before shutting the door to follow the two other teens.

"Not the mom car!" Both Grandeeney and Igneel burst out into laughter when they vaguely heard Sting yell out in disdain.

* * *

Lucy sighed, the humidity of the bathroom clung to her body as she rose from the draining bathtub. The blonde couldn't remember the last time she had a bath like that. Where she could completely immerse her body in warm water and completely scrub away the filth from her body. In the facility, all she had was public shower stalls, no tub- and in the brothel, it was even worse. She only got a wet cloth and bucket on most occasions.

The blonde slung her hair over her shoulder, taking the thick wet strands in her hands to twist the excess water out before moving out of the already empty tub and on to the bathroom rug. The blonde shivered slightly, causing her to snatch the towel from the counter so she could wrap her body.

Hair still slightly dripping, the teen opened the door back into her room. The cool air ghosted across her skin causing gooseflesh to rise from the loss of the warm humidity. Lucy moved to crouch next to one of the boxes that occupied a corner of the room before taking out a very plain faded pink sundress.

The blonde wasn't really sure where most of her clothes that were provided for her had come from, but she had been grateful just to have something that fit her semi-decently, nonetheless.

Once the blonde had the dress placed over her body, she used the towel to dry her long tangled hair. Once it was only just a little less than damp, Lucy reached into the other box to pull out her brush. She didn't care much to look in the mirror so she knelt on the floor to brush out her long blonde tresses in silence.

The semi-damp hair slipped through her fingers as she slowly brushed out all the tangles, her mind wandering the longer she focused on the golden blonde tresses as it faded into pale blonde the further down she drew the brush.

Could she really believe that she's safe here? Lucy watched the last of the pale ends of her hair slip from her grasp while she moved the brush into her lap.

As much as she wanted to believe it to be true, it was just so damn hard. Once you have had your life- your very freedom of choice taken from you, it's so hard to believe that it couldn't- that it won't- happen again.

All it would take is for her to trust in the wrong person, and she could be put right back into servicing people. So how could she know? How could she trust when the person she had thought she could rely on the most had cast her to the wolves like she wasn't even of his own flesh and blood.

The thought of her father had the teen gripping the handle of the brush harder. Not once did she mention who her father was, or her true last name. They must have thought since she never spoke of it that she was always a wayward child that had easily slipped through the crack of the system and fallen into the wrong hands.

Lucy didn't care. If they knew who she was, they would try to send her back, and why would she want to go back to a father that had sold her in the first place? So he could do it again? No thanks. Lucy would much rather just stay Lucy than ever go back to being a Heartiflia.

Lucy shook her head, a bittersweet chuckle piercing the otherwise silent room. She wasn't just Lucy anymore, either though. Was she?

She was Lucy Dragneel.  _That_ was her last name, and this was her home. The blonde would much rather spend uncomfortable and uncertain days in this house under that name, than have anyone figure out who her biological family was.

Lucy sighed, relieving the tension in her shoulders and loosening her grasp on the already old and partially broken brush within her hand. The teen deposited the brush back into the cardboard box before standing. Taking a glance around the unfamiliar room, Lucy contemplated what she should do next.

Moving to one of the windows, the blonde pulled the dark curtains apart, letting in harsh sunlight. Lucy blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness. By the looks of the sun high up in the sky, the teen was certain it couldn't be any later than slightly afternoon, maybe even around two p.m.

From her spot at the window, Lucy observed as three boys around her age opened the doors to the SUV that had transported her to her new home. The curious teen moved her face closer to the window, watching as they started to disappear one by one inside the vehicle, hidden by the dark tinted windows.

Honey brown orbs widened when her gaze was returned by a pair of confused crimson orbs that had locked on to her, the startled female teen quickly drew the curtains to a close. She hadn't been expecting one of the teenagers to turn his attention to her.

_Teenage boys…?_

Lucy sighed. Were they a part of her new family? In the foster care facility she was held in, Lucy was one of the oldest, and the oldest boy she could recall was only nine. Thinking back, Lucy had honestly never had any type of acquaintanceship or even interacted with any males of an equivalent age throughout her life. The blonde teen didn't know what she should expect.

Peeking once more out the window, Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The SUV was gone, and with it that boy with the perplexing scarlet eyes. Closing the curtains once more, Lucy looked towards the other door.

Taking a chance, the blonde moved to the entryway that the adults had used earlier to leave the room. Her hand shook slightly while she reached out to place her palm on the silver doorknob. A shaky exhale leaving her mouth just as she twisted the metal, the door released from its frame with a soft click.

The door was not locked- she wasn't a prisoner in this room.

Given her past, the blonde was slightly startled when the door actually opened. Confinement was an old friend that she couldn't seem to get away from, she had never known true freedom. She had never been able to freely walk as her own person. The blonde sniffled while she quickly brought her hand up to wipe away a few stray tears that had started to fall from her glittering honey orbs.

Peeking into the hallway, Lucy took note of the other doors close to her own before walking out of the room, choosing to leave the door slightly ajar just in case she needed to make a quick dash back for whatever her reason may be.

* * *

_**I know, I know! It's short. I'm working on the next chapter now, though! It should be pretty eventful! :D** _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

After seeing the outside of the house when she first arrived, plus the room and bathroom she had been provided with- the top floor of the Dragneel household was every bit as elegant as Lucy imagined it would be.

Simple, yet tasteful décor lined the hallway along with various framed photos of people of multiple generations. Glancing from photograph to photograph, Lucy followed the short passage to be led out into an open floor plan that looked to be set up as a type of entertainment area.

A relatively large flat screen TV hung high up on the wall over a cozy looking artificial heater in the façade of an elegant fireplace which was surrounded by what looked to be multiple gaming consoles on a shelf on one side, followed by a large collection of both DVD's and games on the other.

Lucy's gaze moved to the overly plush gray L-shaped sectional that was strategically placed so that the TV could be seen from where ever a person might choose to lounge on the overstuffed furniture. Honey brown orbs moved from the couch that was also surrounded by multiple recliners, in favor of focusing on the well-crafted billiard table that seemed to double as a base for multiple other table sports, to the multiple stools that lined the wall next to pool cue rack.

From the overall look of the room, it was obvious that the atmosphere and intention were meant to be geared more towards teen company rather than an adult. Though when the blonde thought of Grandeeney's earlier statements about the men of the family, it probably was meant for the older generation as well.

Lucy moved to sit on the overly plush cushions of the sofa, a forlorn look crossing her features when her curious gaze focused on darting between various framed photos lining the walls of the room. The faces of a variety of children and adults alike smiled back at her in an almost taunting way.

The blonde averted her gaze in favor of focusing on the cream colored carpet of the floor instead of the preserved memories dotting the warm gray walls of the room.

A soft thud on the back of the sectional she was sitting on, followed by a faint meow- had Lucy jerking her gaze from the clean carpet to see a beautiful solid white-furred cat perched behind her head. The feline's guarded brown eyes studied Lucy for a few moments before yawning and moving over to the edge of the couch to stretch before promptly lying down.

The blonde hesitantly reached a handout, intent on caressing the feline's soft white fur, but quickly withdrew it when the lithe cat let out a low growl when it seemingly sensed the young female's movement into the threshold of the feline's personal space.

Lucy blinked; a minute amount of rejection touching her heart before understanding took hold instead.

"So you'd prefer not to be touched, either, huh?" Lucy slowly lowered her rejected hand back into her lap while the cat returned to its original prone position.

As if suddenly realizing the cat wasn't going to respond to her, the blonde closed her eyes and let out a sigh before returning her gaze to the floor. Forlorn feelings gathered in her mind while Lucy thought of all the moments that must have been shared in the very room she was sitting in now.

While she knew that Grandeeney and Igneel wanted to make her feel like she was part of whatever happy family they had in this household, Lucy just couldn't picture herself placed along these walls, wedged into this blended mix of what looked to be happy-go-lucky individuals.

In her honest opinion, the blonde believed that she didn't belong here. The place looked too surreal- too much like a dream to be real. How could she ever be so lucky to be sitting in a place like this right now? How fortunate the gods have been to place her with people that seem so understanding?

How could she honestly believe it?

The whole situation seemed like it was something out of one of those happy and incredibly ridiculous fairy tales her mother used to read to her when she was young. She had been so innocent and naive to believe that such outlandish things like that could happen in the real world.

And even if they were, such fairy tales would never be bestowed upon a broken teenager such as her. The blonde opened her eyes to focus on the artificial flames that were dancing on the screen of the fireplace.

What made her so special that she would get the chance? Was it just that she was in the right place at the right time? Of course, that had to be the reason.

Lucy knew it without a doubt.

If detective Clive had seen any other girl other than herself when he started coming to the brothel, she wouldn't have been in this house right now. She wouldn't have been bestowed with this all too surreal reality that had somehow been fated to her.

Lucy let out a dry snicker at that thought.

Her sitting there right now was nothing more than a fluke.

Nothing more than a luck of the draw- a once in a lifetime chance that wouldn't ever happen again for her. The golden-haired teen was sure that all her fated luck for a lifetime had been used in that single moment when Detective Clive had first stepped through that rotting brothel door and was paired with her.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder if the other girls from the brothel, especially Meredy, would be as fortunate as the blonde has been so far.

A sharp twinge in her heart had the blonde wincing at the thought of her pinkette friend. Lucy truly wanted to believe that the sweet girl had been granted with the type of fairy tale life the blonde would usually scoff at. Her only friend deserved happiness and much, much more.

Maybe when Lucy had the courage, she would confront and ask Detective Clive if he knew Meredy's whereabouts and if she was doing well. Just the thought had a small smile forming on the blonde's face.

The small tilt of her lips quickly fell and was replaced with a fearful expression when the sound of footsteps thudding up the stairs met the blonde's ears. They weren't heavy footfalls which alerted the teen that whoever it was most likely wasn't a male, but she still tensed up regardless.

After all, it was only natural for her to be guarded. She still couldn't trust anyone here yet.

"Carla? Are you up here? Here kitty, kitty." Lucy quickly glanced at the cat before her honey brown orbs darted back to the stairs just in time to see a young blue-haired girl emerge at the stair landing.

The young bluenette's body halted at the landing, her already large doe eyes widened while her mouth formed into the shape of a small 'o' when her eyes landed on the blonde that had quickly moved from her seat on the sofa in favor of standing.

"Oh, goodness! I had no idea you were already awake! I'm Wendy, I'm your new little sister!" The blue-haired girl's face quickly morphed from one of shock into one of pure excitement. While the girl's over-exuberant introduction did little to ease the tension set in the blonde's stance, Lucy still managed a meek response.

"Um.. Hi. I'm.. Lucy." The blonde voice was barely above a whisper.

She felt uncomfortable and unsure of what exactly she should be doing in this type of situation. Of course, Lucy had been around plenty of girls in both the brothel and foster care, but none of them had ever been as enthusiastic as the girl standing close to her now.

"I'm so excited to meet you, Lucy! I've always wanted a big sister!" Wendy clapped her hands together while moving away from the landing and closer to the sofa the blonde has stood from. The younger girl reached out to pet the white fur of the now awake and cranky cat.

"Oh, and you met Carla! I hope she wasn't mean to you. She sometimes has an attitude when it comes to meeting new people." Wendy apologized to the blonde who just awkwardly stood there watching as the young girl pet the cat once more on the head before the feline retreated to find a new and quieter place to nap, away from the two girls.

"N-no, she's fine." Lucy all but stuttered. The fact that Wendy was effortlessly making conversations with her, despite Lucy's obviously awkwardness had the blonde baffled. She wasn't used to people talking to her with such enthusiasm and for long periods of time, at that.

"Oh, good! How do you like your room? Mom said that if you're feeling up to it we're going on a shopping spree to help you decorate it! I'm so excited!" Lucy forced a smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes as she slightly nodded her head to the bluenette, unsure of exactly what to say in response.

After a good minute of pause, the teen finally realized that Wendy was waiting for some time of answer.

"It's really big... Um, we don't have to go shopping.. I don't need anything, honestly. It would be waste for Grandeeney and Igneel to spend their money on me." Lucy shied away a little when she thought of how Grandeeney had offered to take her shopping.

Really, the older woman didn't have to go through the trouble of getting the blonde anything. Lucy was completely used to have less than the bare minimum. Having anything more than what was already provided for her would feel greedy and unnecessary.

"But.. Don't you need some new clothes and stuff, at least?" Wendy's face fell slightly, causing the blonde to feel slightly guilty for spoiling the little girl's- or should she say, her new little sister's excitement about going shopping.

Wendy's observation about the blonde needing new clothes had Lucy blush a little thinking of the few articles of clothing she had neatly folded in her box of belongings in the corner of her room. Most of the clothes were faded, had small holes or just didn't fit her properly.

It was true that she really didn't have many clothes to her name and the ones that she did couldn't really be considered wearable. In fact, the dress she was wearing now was the only article of clothing that could pass for adequate.

"Well… I guess I do need clothes.." Lucy whispered a little while staring down at the faded sundress she was wearing. The blonde didn't exactly feel like going shopping, especially since the last time she did, something terrible happened that completely changed her life forever. But seeing the way her confirmation caused the younger girl's brown orbs to glow with anticipation about shopping with her new sister and mother had the blonde a little relieved.

"Great! Let's go tell mom!" Wendy closed the distance between herself and the blonde to gently grasp her hand around Lucy's wrist, causing the blonde to flinch a little from the unexpected contact. Despite the touch making her more than uncomfortable, Lucy let Wendy guide her down the stairs.

Once the two girls were safely down the stairs, Wendy released her hold on the blonde in favor of wandering the first floor in search of her parents, leaving Lucy standing in front of the stairs.

"Mom! Dad! I met Lucy! We're ready to go shopping!" Lucy glanced around the bottom floor of the Dragneel household, taking note of the elegant décor that matched the theme of the second floor.

Lucy's eyes darted from one wall to the other, taking in just how large the house actually was on the inside. While scanning the room, another thought donned on the blonde. Compared to the amount of noise she heard going on in the house when she first stepped out of the SUV earlier in the day, the house was unsettling quiet now. She wondered where everyone must have gone.

Though, the thought quickly vanished just as fast as it had come when both Igneel and Grandeeney emerged from one of the frames leading into a different room, a smile on both parental figures' faces.

"Ah, hey there kiddo! Nice to see you moving around the house." The red-haired man's voice filled the room while his lopsided toothy grin seemed to put the blonde at ease just a little, especially when Grandeeney followed up with a soothing voice of her own.

"Wendy says you're interested in getting some new clothes. I just want to let you know its okay to wait if you aren't feeling up to getting out today. I know it's been a lot to take in all at once and I don't want you to be any more stressed if it can be avoided." Lucy let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding. How could these people be so nice to her when they didn't have to be?

"I don't mind." Lucy tried her best to smile, she really, really did. She knew that the gesture seemed forced and she knew that Igneel and Grandeeney could probably see through it as well, but damn it she tried. It was the very least she could do, after all.

"Alright, then. Honey, we will be back a little later. Please try not to burn the house down if you attempt to cook for yourself. It would be a real shame if we get Lucy a bunch of nice things and she has nowhere to put it when we get home." Wendy giggled, while Lucy deadpanned at Grandeeney's jest towards her husband.

"Hey, now! I'll have you know that Natsu and the boys are bringing me back food, so there won't be any reason for me to turn on the stove or oven." Igneel's face contorted into a scowl when Wendy snickered even more while Grandeeney just shook her head, a playful smile slipping across her lips while she sighed.

"Good to know. Now we can shop worry free." Grandeeney turned to walk to the front door, Wendy following behind.

"Go and have some fun. Lucy, make sure to pick out some really cool stuff, okay?" Lucy nodded while whispering a quiet thanks to the jovial red-haired man before quickly following after her adopted mother and sister out the front door.

Once the three females were settled in the cab of the truck and on the road into town, Lucy couldn't keep her curiosity contained.

"He wouldn't have really burned down the house if he cooked, would he?" Lucy's voice sounded soft and unsure as she asked the question. Usually, when she had a question it was answered with only silence or mockery, so she was a little unsure she should have even asked.

"Igneel may be great at a lot of things, but when it comes to cooking, it's like he's only able to scorch food, not cook. The man is a closet pyro and loves fire too much." Wendy's giggle was heard while Grandeeney's smile was evident on her face as she explained to Lucy.

"Yeah, dad caught the kitchen on fire once while trying to cook when I was younger. It was decided that he couldn't be allowed to cook ever again. And to make matters worse, Natsu's just as bad! It's because of that Mom and I usually do all the cooking, Unless Mira is over. Mira loves cooking huge meals for everyone!" Wendy laughed at the memory while Lucy's face was one of shock, but then again, the blonde couldn't really judge. She had never cooked before, so she couldn't say how hard or easy it may be.

"Oh. I see." Lucy focused out the window, watching as the trees and brush started to fade out when more buildings came into view. It couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes for them to reach the heart of a large shopping center with more stores than Lucy could count.

"Alright, you girls ready? Lucy, I made a list of the essentials I believe you will need, but you are more than welcome to decide on what exactly you want." Once the truck was parked and the girls were out of the vehicle and on the sidewalk, Grandeeney had removed a note pad from her purse to hand to Lucy.

The list was neatly organized and had items separated by general categories like toiletries, clothes, bedding, and things of that sort. The list was impressive; Lucy hadn't even begun to think of most of the things the cerulean haired woman had listed on the paper as immediate essentials.

"Oh dear, your face looks alarmed. Don't worry, we put the locking cover on the truck, so we can go back and forth if we end up having too much to carry. This will be fun!" Grandeeney rubbed the blonde's arms gently while Lucy looked over the list, too engrossed in the older woman's writing to flinch from the contact. It was just all so much to take in.

"Grandeeney, I really couldn't ask you to get all of this more me.. " Lucy looked from the page to the older woman before biting her lip in frustration. Where would she even start with this list anyway? There had to be over 50 different listed things.

"Nonsense! This is nothing. You should have seen the first list I drafted if you think this one is too much." The pale blue-haired woman smiled, taking the list back from the obviously flustered and overwhelmed teen.

"Alright Wendy, you navigate! I know you know this shopping center like the back of your hand, so you tell us where the best places are to find everything on the list." Wendy squealed with excitement when Grandeeney handed the younger girl the notepad. After taking a quick glance at the paper, the long-haired bluenette almost immediately made a beeline to the nearest clothing store.

A laughing Grandeeney and unsure Lucy followed close behind.

* * *

"Umm.. Are you sure this looks good?" Lucy was looking at her backside in the triple floor length mirrors in the dressing room, currently the blonde was wearing a light blue tank top paired with dark wash embellished skinny jeans that hugged her hips a little too well if you asked for her opinion.

"I think it looks great, but do you feel you might need to go up a size, dear?" Grandeeney walked around the raised platform the teen was currently standing on to get a better look at the blonde.

Lucy looked back into the mirror. It wasn't that the pants felt too tight per say, it was more like they fit her  _too well_. After all, the teenager was used to wearing clothes that didn't fit her properly for years now.

"No, It just feels weird having clothes that fit me properly, I guess." Lucy muttered quietly. It had been at least forty-five minutes since they first entered the second clothing store and Lucy had finally started to get into the shopping spirit with the two blue-haired females. They were both quick to make suggestions on what they thought would work on the blonde, and most of the time their suggestions were spot on.

This resulted in Lucy trying on what felt like half of the store in such a short amount of time.

"It looks perfect, Lucy! Can you try on the shorts next? Oh and a bathing suit! It's supposed to be a little hot next week so we can go swimming together!" Wendy jumped up and down as she pushed said shorts and swimsuit towards her new sister.

"Sure." The blonde shuffled back into the dressing room to take off the current clothes she was wearing. Everything was hung nearly back up until she was left in nothing besides her underwear and the new bra she had got from the first store.

Lucy threw on the navy blue bikini top that clipped in the front over her bra just like Grandeeney had told her to, before shimming into the bottoms then sliding the shorts up over the swimsuit bottoms. Without giving it much thought or even a glance in the small mirror provided in the individual room, the teen walked out of the dressing room to stand on the platform again.

Looking in the triple mirror, Lucy twisted her body multiple angles, examining the scars across her hips and the ones she could see scored down her back. It wasn't until two sharp intakes of breath caught her attention did she stop examining her body in favor of focusing on the bikini top and shorts she had on.

"Oh Lucy.. On second thought, maybe a cute one piece would be best. I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking." Grandeeney quickly stepped on the platform to help the blonde into one of the shirts that Lucy had decided she was going to get that had been in the older woman's her hands.

"It's fine. I think it's a cute bathing suit. I like the shorts as well" Lucy deadpanned while looking into the unsure eyes of the older woman. While the blonde could understand why Grandeeney had said a one-piece suit could be best for her, Lucy liked the tiny golden stars that dotted the navy blue bikini.

Besides, she didn't really care if other people saw her scars. After being naked for so long every day for the past few years and being seen like that by so many people, Lucy had stopped feeling embarrassed of her body long ago.

"Only if you want it." The blue haired woman relented, even though uncertainty was still held within her crystal blue eyes.

"I do." Lucy confirmed before her gaze moved back to the other bluenette who was silently holding out a deep crimson floor length dress that looked to be more for formal wear than casual. The blonde gave the young girl a confused look before taking the garment from her.

"Every year when summer comes to an end, there is a huge fall festival and the highlight is a masquerade ball. We always go and it's so much fun!" Wendy explained.

Lucy looked at the dress in her hands, before shrugging and making her way back to the dressing room once again.

Lucy removed the shirt Grandeeney had put on her, as well as the bikini top, then unbuttoned and slid down the shorts and bikini bottoms, leaving her in only her underwear once again. Once the clothes were hung on their hangers, Lucy turned to look at the dress hanging on the door.

Not giving it much thought, she took it off the hanger and unzipped the back before throwing it over her head and shoving her arms through the straps while letting the fabric naturally fall down her body after getting the bodice to cover her chest. Once done, Lucy walked back out of the dressing room.

"I can't zip the back." The blonde deadpanned as an awestruck Grandeeney and Wendy stared at the oblivious teen. The dress was gorgeous on her, without a doubt. Wendy walked up to her sister and moved her long blonde hair from her back to zip up the dress for her. But not before taking a closer look at the scars that marred the pale flesh of Lucy's back in confusion.

After that was done, Lucy stepped back up on the platform to look at herself in the triple mirror.

The dress was beautiful, complete with a sweetheart neckline with thick black lace straps holding the dress on her shoulders. The front of the bodice was embellished with deep crimson jewels that looked almost black, the jewels tapered off down her hips while the colors of the jewels gradually changed to a more ruby red at the hips before coming to a tulle material mermaid style skirt that started to flare out around her thighs and down to her feet.

Even though the front was alone was enough to be considered gorgeous, it was the back that had Lucy staring into the mirror in awe. The back was covered in see-through sheer fabric and black lace it was just enough to cover the scarring of her back.

"Wow, Lucy! You look amazing!" Wendy squealed while walking around the platform to get a better view, Grandeeney was doing much the same.

"This is beautiful, Lucy. Do you like it?" Lucy only nodded. She was still staring at herself as well. She couldn't believe that something so gorgeous could look so good on her.

"Alright, do you think we are ready to move on to the next items on the list?" Lucy nodded once again while stepping down from the platform to go to the dressing room one last time to change back into her original clothing.

"Oh, Lucy. Do you want to wear some of your new clothes now? Just take off the tags in the dressing room and we will pay for them at the register. It won't be a problem." Grandeeney gave the teen a smile.

"Okay. Um.. Wendy? Do you want to pick out an outfit for me to wear?" Lucy wasn't very confident in her outfit pairing skills, but Wendy seemed to be a pro at putting clothes together, plus it seemed to make the little bluenette happy.

"Yes! Of course, Lucy! Give me a sec." The young girl danced around the basketed full of the clothes and shoes they were buying for Lucy, once she had the outfit picked out, Wendy dropped the articles into the blonde's hands and sent her to the fitting room for the last time.

Lucy quickly threw on the outfit, making sure to take off the tags and stick them in one of the pockets for safekeeping for when they got to the register. She made sure to brush out her long blonde strands with her finger before she walked out to put the dress in the basket before stepping back on the platform to look at the outfit Wendy had picked out for her.

The blonde was now wearing a gray tank top paired with a fitted denim jacket that was left unbuttoned. Lucy turned to admire the crimson skater skirt that hugged her hips. The skirt seemed to dance around her thighs when Lucy made any type of movement. Lucy's eyes moved down to her legs, which were covered with black thigh highs to the black 2-inch heeled ankle boots. The outfit was completed with a black choker that had a silver star hanging in the middle around her neck.

"Oh, it looks even better than I thought it would!" Wendy clasped her hands together while admiring the blonde haired teen.

"It looks great! Alright, we are all set to go." Grandeeney held out her hand for the price tags while Lucy got down from the platform, then they then made their way to the cash register to check out.

After their purchase was packed up in bags, the three females carried Lucy's newly bought wardrobe back to the truck to deposit the multiple large bags into the cab of the truck before setting off for the next items on the list.

* * *

"Damn it, Natsu! Give me back my fries before I reach over this table and slap you with one of my shoes." Sting raised his shoe into the air for added action to back up the threat.

"Get your dirty shoe away from me, jackass!" The pink haired teen moved back out of his chair while tossing another one of the blonde teen's fries into his mouth, a large grin plastered across his face while doing so.

A clumsy swing from Sting had Rogue retreating from his chair, an arm protectively covering his nachos as he moved to the next table over, all the while his blonde friend insisted on wielding his shoe as some type of weapon.

"You two are so annoying. Damn it, Sting! Put your shoe back on." Rogue sighed.

"Not until I get my fries back!" Sting chased after Natsu when the pinkette moved across the food court at lightning speed to avoid a well-timed swat of Sting's dirt covered shoe.

"My god, you two are the worst." The ebony haired teen sighed before continuing to eat his nachos and watch the scene his two friends were making inside the indoor food court of the shopping center.

The red-eyed teenager would think having police officers as parents would deter the two from causing trouble, but it would seem that didn't faze the other two youths in the slightest.

"You guys are going to get kicked out of the mall for good and Uncle Igneel and Uncle Weiss aren't going to bail you guys out this time." Rogue called to the two teens that were currently circling another table, that was until Natsu tripped over one of his shoes that had come untied, sending Sting's french-fries flying up in the air, then eventually on the ground scattered everywhere.

"My fries!" Sting wailed while dropping to his knees.

"Just buy some more, moron."Rogue called again.

Sting and Natsu both stood from the ground, the later moving to tie his shoe, while the blonde moved to pick up the scattered fries before throwing them into the trash can close by. They were both about to head back to the table the ebony haired teen was sitting at, but was stopped by an angry yell.

"Saw that coming." Rogue snickered while leaning back in his chair, a small smirk on his lips while he watched both Natsu and Sting get chewed out by a security guard on duty. The only thing Rogue couldn't figure out is why it took the guard so long to show up.

A few minutes went by as he continued to finish off the rest of his food while enjoying the entertaining show of his friends getting reprimanded by a mall cop.

"Oh no, Natsu! Sting! What did you two do this time!?" A loud feminine voice sounded behind him, causing the red-eyed male to turn slightly to see Grandeneey running past the table to talk to the security guard.

"Oh, you two are so lucky Aunt Grandeeney showed up." Rogue whispered to himself, but was caught off guard when the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and a childish voice spoke beside him.

"No kidding. So what happened this time?" Rogue looked back once more to see Wendy moving the chair out from under the table he was currently sitting at before she plopped down with a loud sigh to his right.

"Oh, hey Wendy. Didn't see you for a minute there. Must be because you're so small and don't make much sound when you sneak up on people." Rogue smirked when the long-haired bluenette squeaked out a frustrated sound.

"That's so mean! I'm not that small, Rogue! Besides, you didn't notice Lucy, either!" Not understanding what the young girl was talking about, Rogue turned around a little more to look directly back behind him, but didn't see anyone. He then turned again, but this time to his left. The ebony haired teen was startled to see the blonde haired girl he saw earlier this morning in the window of Natsu and Wendy's house, sitting on the edge of the table he had abandoned.

"Jesus Christ! Where the hell did she come from? I didn't hear her at all!" Rogue moved a little away from the blonde, trying to figure out how she got there without him even noticing. Maybe his dad was right and he did need to pay more attention to his surroundings.

"Stop being so mean, Rogue! I'm so sorry Lucy, he's usually nicer!" The ebony haired teenager blinked, looking at the startled face of the blonde. Well geez, he was startled too, she sort of just popped up out of thin air.

As if mistaking his outburst for some sort of hostility, the blonde moved around to sit in a chair at a different table closer to Wendy. The bags she had originally set down were forgotten on the abandoned table along with the rest of Natsu and Sting's food.

"I'm not being mean. She just kind of startled me is all. She knows that, right?" Rogue sighed glancing from the disapproving face of Wendy to the blonde that was currently looking down at her feet, her bangs obscured most of the view of her face, but Rogue could tell just by her demeanor she was upset.

Rogue sighed once again, this time looking up at the high ceiling of the indoor food court.

No, she definitely didn't understand. His parents had even sat him down and told him that he needed to be careful around her because she had come out of a complicated and abusive situation, and not even two seconds into meeting her he'd already fucked up and practically yelled in her face.

"Ah. Fuck me." Rogue sighed.

His mom and dad are going to kill him.

* * *

_**I know this took quite a while to update, and I am sorry for that. The next update shouldn't take so long as I have already started that. But my next objective is to get the next chapter of Broken out first.** _

_**As always, I am sorry for any errors!** _


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